Siamese-Chinese porcelain gambling tokens

What is this? Have you ever seen it? This is the Siamese -Chinese porcelain gambling tokens, this tokens had been used as monetary coins for daily trading at 17th -18th century at Northern Malay States. This kind of the coin are issued by the Gambling Center, in other word people of the ancient time, they purposely working to earn this kind of the gambling tokens , since you owned this kind of the gambling tokens, you can gamble at the gambling centers. Since all the people was very trusted for these tokens, they also treated it as money for trading. Can you imagined how large the gambling industry at that period?

"Siamese porcelain tokens (pees) began as tokens used in a casinio game called Fantan around 1820. These were much easier to use than the bars of silver that was legal tender in Siam at the time. The coins became so popular that they were used in trade throughout the kingdom until they were banned in 1875. Pees could be exchanged for silver coins, so unscrupulous businessmen ordered porcelain tokens from China at a discount. To counter, the casinos changed designs on the tokens often, and there may now be as many as eight thousands different designs. Despite the ban, pees were used as underground money well into the twentieth century, and can be found in antique shops and from coin dealers worldwide. "


Remarks: Nobita's Collection Ogos 2009