22 mm, brass face value 50	circular inscription RESTAURANT TACHE RUSESCU, in center a bunch of grapes, with a leaf and a tendril
26.1 mm, brass face value 100	circular inscription RESTAURANT TACHE RUSESCU, in center a bunch of grapes, with a leaf and a tendril

About Tache Rusescu, about His Restaurant and about His Tokens

Tache Rusescu's restaurant was in Bucharest, on Calea Plevnei no 4. Rusescu published several advertisements in the media in a humorous, unconventional style: "Du-te zilnic de mănîncă, / Şi’ţi arată eleganţa / La terasa lui Rusescu, / Ştii, lîngă Hotel de Franţa". Several of his advertisements published in 1892 in Adevărul newspaper are presented in [2], where the previous lines were taken from. Tache Rusescu was apprentice in the restaurant of Iordache Ionescu on Covaci Street no 3 (another renowned restaurant in the Bucharest of the end of 19th century). The tokens issued by Rusescu are very similar to the ones issued by his former employer from "J. N. Jonescu" restaurant. It is quite sure that the face value is in bani. Values of 5 and 10 also exist.

These tokens are listed in [3] as not localized, and are also presented in an article published in Colecţionarul Român revue [1].

The Rusescu tokens are present on Romanian tokens through the kind permission of an anonimous donor.

References

1. Ciumara T., Jetoanele restaurantelor J.N. Jonescu şi Tache Rusescu. Colecţionarul Român, nr. 10, 2007.

2. Draşovean M.-F., Tache Rusescu sau sufletul comerţului cu vorbe – studiu privind reclama bunei dispoziţii la sfârşitul secolului al XIX-lea. Erasmus, nr. 14, 2003-2005, Bucureşti.

3. Schäffer E., Jetoane. Semne valorice şi mărci. Editura Corvin, Deva, 2003.