Queen Victoria Playing Cards Gilt Brass Gaming Token

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Denis Richard, Jun 20, 2025 at 4:36 PM.

  1. Denis Richard

    Denis Richard Well-Known Member

    Just wanted to share a cool little token I picked up: a gilt brass Whist counter from around 1850, featuring Queen Victoria on the front. Some of the original gilding is still hanging on, which is nice to see.
    The back shows three playing cards: six of spades, king of diamonds, and five of clubs. Not sure if the combo means anything in particular—maybe just decorative?
    NUM00007064_b.jpg
    These were used as score counters for Whist, which was kind of the go-to card game before Bridge took over. They were either sold in shops or sometimes handed out as advertising giveaways. From what I’ve read, they go back as far as George III’s time and stayed popular through much of Victoria’s reign.

    NUM00007064_a.jpg
    I found this diagram of how the tokens were used to score.

    hoyles-2.jpg

    I’m curious if anyone else collects these or has come across different card combos on the back? Would love to see what else is out there.
     
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    That’s a neat and good looking token.
     
    Denis Richard likes this.
  4. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    I forgot to add that the cards represent
    Loyalty, Leadership, and Stability
     
    Denis Richard likes this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page