Convict love token

This love token is typical of tokens made by convicts from coins that they hammered flat and engraved with messages of affection and endurance. Convicts who were about to be transported to Australia gave the tokens as mementos to the loved ones they were leaving behind. Some tokens include the length of sentence, either seven or fourteen years, and popular phrases and rhymes of separation. Convict love tokens are one of the few examples of items made by convicts which have survived. This token reads: A token of love from an unfortunate son to his beloved mother.