VICTORIAN ERA GREAT BRITAIN KINGS & ACES PLAYING CARDS GAMBLING COUNTER TOKEN

BRONZE COMPOSITION WHIST COUNTERS WERE A SERIES OF BRITISH TOKENS SOLD AT STREET SHOPS OR GIVEN AWAY AS ADVERTISING CARDS THROUGH THE 

REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 1837-1876.

WHIST, A POPULAR GAME DURING THIS PERIOD, WAS A FORERUNNER OF BRIDGE.

History and use of gaming tokens or “Jetons”

The use of such tokens has a rich history that evolved over centuries:

• Medieval counters: The ancestors of modern chips were jetons used for calculations on a counting board, similar to an abacus. As Arabic numerals became more common, the use of jetons shifted from accounting to scoring in board and card games.
• 17th-century tokens: In some cases, tokens were used as a type of local currency or as small change when none existed. Some taverns also issued their own tokens.