Britain, George III Spade Guinea Token - 1800s - United Kingdom

Includes glass top display box. Origin: United Kingdom Denomination: Spade guinea brass token, imitating a real gold guinea Ruler: King George III Date: 1788, struck circa 1800s Obverse Design: Portrait of King George III right, legend around. Reverse Design: Crowned quartered shield of arms in the shape of a spade, legend around, date below. These spade guinea tokens were not legal tender currency, nor were they counterfeits meant to be passed of as genuine. Rather, they were produced as novelty, souvenir, and promotional pieces that were used in advertising, as gaming pieces for gamblers, or simply given out as keepsakes. Although they were based on gold guineas from the reign of King George III, most were actually made from brass during the later Victorian era. George III's portrait was used in order to avoid anticounterfeiting laws, and some design elements like the legend were often changed for the same reason. They are known as "spade" guineas due to the spade shaped co