101889 | GREAT BRITAIN. Set of 4 knitted pearl Gaming Counters.

101889  |  GREAT BRITAIN. Set of four knitted pearl Jetons or Gaming Counters for Whist. Issued circa 1830-1870.

 

All pieces: Golden-olive pearled asterisk pattern over blue pearled background. Central pattern varying as follows: 1). (29mm, 2.80 g). >< / Handwritten "I"; 2). (29mm, 2.70 g). < / Handwritten "II"; 3). (29mm, 2.63 g). Λ / Handwritten "III"; 4). (29mm, 2.95 g) > / Handwritten "IV".

 

All pieces: Extremely Fine. Nearly all of the knitted pearling remains intact. An interesting and unusual set, with a departure from the more common materials of production. Includes original pearled case of issue as well as pearled leather pouch.

 

Whist is a trick-taking game played in pairs and with a standard "French-style" 52 card deck, immensely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Countless varieties on the standard game exist and, due to the nature of scoring, some form of notation was required, with tokens such as this providing a popular means. Additionally, containers for the pieces were often also produced, allowing the owner to conveniently bring their tokens to the table for use. These sets represent a 19th century analog to a contemporary chip set brought for a spirited night of gameplay.

 

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