Deep-carved oblong gaming counter depicting a man showing a large round lantern to a seated mandarin, recognizable by his winter hat with round finial. The lantern is decorated with shou characters which express the desire for a long life. A servant is watching from behind. The intricate armorial belongs to Buller family of Somerset, Shillingham and Morval in Cornwall, England and shows a Moor’s head above a quarter-pierced shield decorated with a cross of four eagles. On both sides of the crest stands a man of whom one brandishes two swords and the other one wields two sabers of a type called dadao (大刀). The border on the front is decorated with plum flowers and bats. Plum flowers have five petals which represent ‘old age, Health, Wealth, Love of Virtue and a Peaceful death'. The bat (Fu) stands for ‘Blessings’. The border on the back shows berries of the evergreen plant ‘Rohdea Japonica’ (Wannianqing) which is a pun for ‘ten thousand years’. This stunning counter dates from the Daoguang period (道光 1820 – 1850). Length 6.9 cm. Height 2.7 cm. Thickness 0.22 cm.