Size : 2 to 3 cm. Condition : 'Pee' gambling tokens. Good. History : Until a mint was established in Bangkok in 1861 the only form of money was the silver tical worth ,in the 19th century, two shillings and six pence. The tical was a bulky, inconvenient bullet shaped hunk of metal. For small change, until 1861, cowries were used - 6400 equalled one tical. This currency was not practical for use in the Chinese gambling dens. So it was that porcelain tokens were ordered from Tehua. Over two thousand different types have been recorded, bearing a wide variety of house chops, value and decoration. The main period of their use was between 1840 and 1870. 'pee' money was accepted as currency in the market until it was prohibited in 1871. Its use as a gambling token ceased when enterprising businessmen discovered that they could buy the tokens direct from Tehua at a fraction of their face value. For references see:Blanc de Chine by P.J.Donnelly,(Faber & Faber 1969), The Coinage of Siam by Reginald de May (Siam Society Vol.IX), G.Hollinck ONS Newsletter.

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