Physical object: Souvenir token with Queen Victoria and Charles S. Stratton

Brass token, which was likely used as a game counter.  One side depicts Charles Stratton, better known as General Tom Thumb, standing on a desk.  One book lays beside him and runs parallel to his feet, and another stands upright, allowing him to lean on it.  The text around him reads “General Tom Thumb 15 lbs weight.”   On the other side is a portrait of a young Queen Victoria in profile, her hair done up.  The text reads “Victoria Regina 1846.” The article  "American Game Counters” by Russell Rulau and George J. Fuld ranked the token as a R7, and suggested that there are only ten to nineteen known existing tokens. Created by the firm of John Allen and Joseph Moore, 1846. Charles S. Stratton (January 4, 1838- July 15, 1883), known as General Tom Thumb, was an entertainer and Bridgeport Conn. native who got his start with P.T. Barnum in 1842.  Stratton's parents signed him with Barnum at age 4, as exhibiting those with dwarfism was lucrative at the time.  Stratton took quickly to performing, and he entertained audiences worldwide, including nobility such as Queen Victoria.    This token was produced amid the hype of Stratton’s command performances for Victoria, and reflects the British public’s interest in Stratton. Stratton married fellow performer M. Lavinia Warren and the two had a happy marriage.  Stratton's performances brought him renown as a celebrity, perhaps one of the biggest at the time, and he and Warren were able to live comfortably when not working. On 15 July 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away.  He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with his wife beside him.