19th CENTURY, Ireland. Dublin. Edward Johnson, jeweller. AR Piuzzle Token (16mm, 1.51 g, 12h). Struck 1888. Near EF.

Electronic Auction 575
Lot: 964. Estimated: $ 100

British Tokens, Silver

Sold For $ 90. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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19th CENTURY, Ireland. Dublin. Edward Johnson, jeweller. AR Piuzzle Token (16mm, 1.51 g, 12h). Struck 1888. JOHNSON/ JEWELLER/ DUBLIN / ASRWSROIOEHWUOMNEMPHNE (cypher), FIVE/ HUNDRED/ POUNDS. For discussion, see “Edmond Johnson’s Playfair Ciphers,” in E-Sylum vol. 27, no. 3 (21 January 2024). Toned, holed. Near EF.

In the 1880s, Dublin jeweler Edward Johnson issued at least two tokens bearing an unusual cipher, with a prize for whoever could decipher it. The message is encrypted in a Playfair cipher, in a form of substitution cipher.

Closing Date and Time: 20 November 2024 at 15:21:00 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.