101890 | GREAT BRITAIN. Set of 4 enameled ivory Gaming "Suits" Counters.

101890  |  GREAT BRITAIN. Set of four enameled ivory Jetons or Gaming "Suits" Counters for Whist. Issued circa 1870-1900.

 

1). (27mm, 1.29 g). ♠︎ (spade) / ⚀ (dot);  2). (27mm, 1.35 g). ♣︎ (club) / ⚁ (two dots); 3). (26mm, 1.03 g). ♥︎ (heart) / ⚂ (three dots); 4). (27mm, 1.07 g) ♦︎ (diamond) / ⚃ (four dots).

 

All pieces: About Uncirculated. Essentially as made, with just a slight degree of rub to the colored enameling. A great set, with hand painting on each side. Quite rare this attractive and well preserved as a set. Includes two-piece case of issue that screws together to contain the set.

 

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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