Vintage Glass Bottomed Swatow Pewter Tankard by Chingkee

A Swatow pewter tankard from China made by Chingkee. Swatow was at one time a hub for pewter makers who would export these all over the world. This tankard is in great condition given its age which would be teetering on antique rather than vintage.

Glass bottomed tankards were made so that unsuspecting drinkers were not hoodwinked into the Royal Navy by accepting what was called the “King’s shilling”. The shilling would be dropped into a tankard by a Royal Navy recruiter while it was being used. The man using the tankard on finishing his beverage would find the shilling and the Navy recruiter would claim the man had accepted the shilling as payment for joining the Navy. By adding glass bottoms to tankards, men were able to see if anyone had dropped a shilling in their drink and avoid being press-ganged into the Navy.