A set of ten porcelain gambling tokens

Title
A set of ten porcelain gambling tokens
Year/Period
Late 19th - early 20th century
Region
Singapore
Material
Dimension
Object size: Pls refer to individual dimensions
Accession No.
2018-00632

This set of ten porcelain gambling tokens features Chinese inscriptions and comes in a variety of shapes. The coins were often imitations of Chinese cash from the Qing dynasty.Such tokens are commonly known as Siamese porcelain tokens (or “pee”) and they were used in Chinese-run gambling establishments (called “hongs”) in Siam in the 18th -19th century. They were initially used as gambling counters but were later accepted as small currency exchange within the hong owners’ districts.