I bought this the other day off of feebay, no particular reason I just ran across it and I was wondering if it's an imitation or not? The fakes I've come across normally have Simcox written across the bottom of the obverse, like pic 1 shows. The only thing I know about Guinea Tokens is under the Simcox & Timmins name, some are legit and some aren't. The seller had Overstruck written on the flip but honestly, I don't see it. Anyone think it's fake, or Overstruck? Anyone know anything about these?
I doubt it is a fake, I don't see much reason to fake them, and how would you know? There are over a thousand different varieties. (Yes, there is a book on them.)
I don't know anything about the varieties on these. Had a few, once upon a time. That George portrait is so ugly, it's cool.
Maybe @GeorgeM knows about these? I read online that Simcox & Timmins didn't make any imitations in 1880, if that's true mine would be the fake. I don't know why but I think they're called imitations as opposed to fakes.
I'm certainly no expert on these, but something about that looks like a modern fake to me. "Imitation" is often a synonym for "contemporary counterfeit".
Yes, I believe it's a Simcox & Timmins counter token. They were used as reckoning jetons for accounting or as scoring counters in games like whist. The spade guinea types were popular during George's reign and again in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after a change in UK law banned imitations of the reigning monarch. Most of the early copies were simple imitations, like this piece. There are no genuine guineas dated "1800". The later copies are more often of an advertising nature with the names of businesses added. I've been developing an interest in these and other early game counters of late. There are many varieties and most cost only a few dollars.
