23 January, 2013

Beard Token

 
No Beardo should go around without being able to prove the legitimacy of his beard: get your Beard Token here
In 1705, Emperor Peter the Great of Russia outlawed beards and instituted a beard tax in his attempt to emulate European styles and modernize Russia. Those who paid the tax were required to carry a “beard token”. This was a copper or silver token with a Russian Eagle on one side and on the other, the lower part of a face with nose, mouth, whiskers, and beard. It was inscribed with two phrases: “the beard tax has been taken” and “the beard is a useless burden”.

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