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Chinese Mother of Pearl Gaming Tokens [204369]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Casino and Gambling Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 200.00 USD
Chinese Mother of Pearl Gaming Tokens [204369]
SOLD
100.00USDto E********y+ buyer's premium (25.00)
This item SOLD at 2025 Nov 02 @ 15:36UTC-08:00 : PST/AKDT
FINAL AUCTION RECORD The Auctioneer’s podium notes serve as the final, legally binding record of the auction results, superseding any electronic bidding records. See Terms and Conditions
Chinese Mother of Pearl Gaming Tokens. Here are five examples of pre-1840 Chinese mother-of-pearl gaming counters: round, oval, rectangle, long rectangle and a fish. These first came to Europe around 1700 when European traders were answering the demand for tea. An enterprising trader must have seen the Chinese gambling with simple, yet fine mother-of-pearl counters decorated with traditional Chinese designs and brought some back to Europe. They quickly became collectibles, but the cost of a set of counters was huge, so it was only the very richest families which could afford them. Eventually demand seems to have stopped in around 1840 when social habits in Europe were moving away from card games which required counters. The production of these counters in China finally came to an end. Douglas McDonald Collection.
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Provenance: Douglas McDonald Collection