(c.1930) Token Rulau-Fuld Mcy-11

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,920 MS64 12-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Brass gaming token or counter of undocumented American or Chinese-American origin, catalogued as Rulau-Fuld Mcy-11 in the second supplement (1973) to American Game Counters by Russell Rulau and George Fuld, listed in the miscellany section with undocumented American origin. The obverse bears an imperial dragon coiled around a fiery pearl with six stylized clouds surrounding the design — a motif typical of late Qing dynasty (1644–1912) decorative art. The reverse displays a central Chinese ideogram surrounded by four characters reading "長命富貴" (Chang ming fu gui), meaning "Long life and prosperity," a traditional Chinese auspicious phrase. The design strongly indicates a date of manufacture in the decades following the fall of the Qing empire (1912), consistent with the ca. 1930s attribution. Was produced in the United States for the Chinese immigrant community or imported from China for use in American gambling establishments.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. Catalogued under the miscellany section of Rulau and Fuld's American Game Counters (1973 supplement) as a type of undocumented American origin, this piece is one of very few examples recorded. The combination of the late Qing imperial dragon design and undocumented provenance makes it of interest to both American token collectors and students of Chinese-American numismatics.

Cross References

Rulau-Fuld; PCGS #881843