335 - HEUR ET MALHEUR

HEUR ET MALHEUR Set of 6 tokens Famous series of octagonal game tokens titled “Heur et Malheur,” engraved by Raymond Gayrard (1777–1858), who was ennobled in 1825 by Charles X, with inscriptions composed under the direction of Jean-Pierre Casimir de Marcassus, Baron de Puymaurin (director of the Paris Mint between 1816 and 1830), hence the dual signature “GAYRARD” and “DE PUYMAURIN D.” The design concept of this series is highly original: on the obverse, a bifront (two-faced) bust of a woman, one face smiling and crowned with fruit, the other expressing sorrow with hair made of snakes, symbolizing precisely “Heur” (happiness/good fortune) and “Malheur” (misfortune). On the reverse, each token bears a different motto and allegory: it is a complete series that included about twenty different mottos, among them “As a disciple of Ceres, I spread her blessings,” “Let us not wait for the return of dawn,” “The stranger the trick, the happier she is,” and “I have worked; now I reap the rewards.” These tokens were used in gambling circles (casinos and private clubs of the 19th century), hence their octagonal shape.