Commendation Ninepence

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

This was a bent silver nmepenny piece, commonly used in the 17th century as a love-token, giver and receiver saying, "To my love, from my love." Some- times the coin was broken, each keeping a part.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Commendation Ninepence” mean?

This was a bent silver nmepenny piece, commonly used in the 17th century as a love-token, giver and receiver saying, "To my love, from my love." Some- times the coin was broken, each keeping a part.

Is “Commendation Ninepence” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.