I like it, personally!
The date on the obverse does not necessarily coincide with a birth year, although it certainly could be. Properly called "mourning tokens" and most popular from the 1700s to the late 1800s.
Across the pond, they were very in vogue during the Georgian eras up through Victoria's reign, and quite elaborate; coins, brooches, rings, lockets and mourning-bead necklaces were all made.
I don't see them as often on
US coins and they are certainly nowhere near as common as love tokens.
Here is a quite elaborate example engraved over a 1695-1697 shilling of William III. The actual engraving was probably done sometime in the latter half of the 1700s as best as we can tell.

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