Product Details ＋

From the Siam of The King and I, rare and exotic porcelain gaming tokens, now in an heirloom pendant...

Name: Siam Porcelain Gaming Token - from the Era of "The King & I" - Sterling Silver Pendant | Artifact #6679
SKU: 100085

Long before Siam became Thailand, bustling gaming houses used these small pieces of glistening porcelain art as gaming tokens. Bright with colors, and the symbols of luck and good fortune, these precious pieces of the past are sometimes found amongst the foundations of these once-busy streets and structures - all that's left of a time long past.

Please Note: These are authentic Siam Porcelain Gaming Tokens, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.

Created from 1760 to 1875, these colorful tokens were used as gaming pieces in private gaming houses in Siam (it became Thailand in 1939). In the absence of “small change” they were also used as money in the surrounding areas. Eastern scholars believe that there may have been as many as 1,000 “hongs,” or firms that issued the tokens, and more than 10,000 varieties have been recorded.

Your Porcelain Siam - Now Thailand - Gaming Token:

Date circa: 1760 - 1875
Token Material: Fine Chinese Porcelain
Bezel Metal: Proprietary Non-tarnishing Sterling Silver
Size Including the Bezel (Setting): 1" wide, 1 1/4" Tall - the Width of a U.S. Quarter

Special Note from Robert: Each of these tokens is a tiny work of art in legendary, gleaming porcelain. Our collection comes from a long time treasure friend who carefully collected them when he traveled the East in the 1960s. They were originally recovered from the foundations of gaming establishments.

When we had our store in Cannon Beach, I have shown these to our Eastern visitors in hopes of getting a translation of what the characters said. In a few cases, some were able to make out a "word" or two, but its meaning is lost to time, as most of the characters' meanings were specific to the place and times they were in use.

The gaming tokens were created in delicate porcelain and hand colored in hues of green, blue, pink, black, red and orange. The designs and inscriptions not only gave the value of each piece, but also denoted the issuing house, and sometimes depicted animals, people or sea creatures and good luck symbols.

The delicate porcelain tokens are fine examples of the famous Asian mastery of porcelain, long before such fine work was duplicated by European craftsman. In 1875, in an attempt to facilitate the use of new fiat currency, the government prohibited the use of the tokens as money.

Historical Note: These tokens were in use when Anna Leonowens was invited to Siam by King Mongkut (Rama IV). She recounted her adventures in The English Governess at the Siamese Court. Later, Margaret Landon fictionalized Leonowens' story into her best-selling novel, Anna and the King of Siam. And in 1951, Rogers and Hammerstien's musical, The King and I hit the stage.