How Much Did Counters Cost?
Mother-of-Pearl counters decorated with someone’s coat of arms or initials were not cheap; in 1784, John Green, the captain of the American ship Empress of China, paid $10.00 for a “Sett Cyphered Mother Pearl Counters 140 per Sett.”
In contrast, Green paid only $5.00 for a large punch bowl painted with a view of the city of Canton.