New York, New York. Taylor & Co., Royal Havana Lottery. Bowers NY-7820. Gilt brass. 37 mm. Choice Mint State.，Obverse: Type of an 1806 Spanish Colonial 8 Escudos obverse. Reverse: Heavy green card with 10-line inscription printed in black, THE ROYAL / HAVANA LOTTERY / OF CUBA, / Draws $390,000 in Gold / Every 17 Days. / Prizes Cashed and Information / Furnished. / TAYLOR & CO. / Bankers, / 16 Wall St., N.Y. Another card of superb quality and great rarity. The obverse shell is beautifully preserved with lustrous and brilliant full gilding. Similarly, the card has good depth of color and virtually no signs of handling. An outstanding piece, the Bowers plate piece and one of just four to seven examples thought to exist. A similar piece with white paper brought $922 in our September 2013 sale. <p>An 1866 account in <em>American Agriculturist </em>mentioned the Havana Lottery specifically,<p>"Lotteries-How Even a Genuine One Works, the Arithmetic of the Thing: -Of the many venders of lottery tickets in this city, at least nine out of ten are bogus, swindling concerns, in which the Investors have no chance at all, and a man must have uncommon discernment and discretion to ascertain which is the tenth or genuine one.-But supposing all were genuine, let us see what chance a man would have in one.<p>"For example, take the Royal Havana Lottery said to be honorably conducted by the Spanish Government, under the supervision of the Captain General of Cuba. We called at the Agency in this city, and learned the entire modus operandi. Take the drawing No. 756, for May 9. There are 437 prizes ranging from one hundred and sixty of $200 each, to one of $100,000. Total amount of Prizes, $360,000 in gold- or equivalent to about $450,000 in our currency. The deductions before the prizes are paid amount to 12 to 15 per cent., or say $50,000. This leaves $400,000 to be distributed among the ticket holders. But there are just 30,000 tickets at $40 each, which must all be drawn from. That is, the ticket holders pay $1,200,000 for the privilege of drawing $400,000, the other $800,000 all going to the lottery operators, agents, etc.<p>"It is just the same as if six men put a dollar each into a box to be drawn out by lot. If they draw the whole with perfectly fair chances, they would stand an equal chance of getting their money back, but If the holder of the box takes out and puts in his own pocket $1 of the money, and leaves the whole six men who put in a dollar each, a sixth of a chance at only $2, their chance would be a slim one and hardly on the square. Yet this is just what is done In this Royal Havana Lottery to those who buy their tickets here at $40 for whole ticket; $30 for halves; $10 for quarters ; $3 for eighths, and $2.50 for sixteenths."-You pay your share of $1,200,000 for the privilege of a chance share in $400,000. And this is about the chance one has in any lottery, however much the managers may mystify their figures, and it shows how they make such enormous profits, and why they run such risks and struggle so hard against just laws. The ticket buyers really have a very slim chance at best, or hardly a third of a chance when they pay for a whole one-yet the foolish hope that they may be successful, and so keep on investing money, because somebody somewhere has drawn a prize.…<p>"Unfortunately, it is only those who have always been unlucky and are likely to be, and those who do not or cannot look into the arithmetic of the thing, that will and do patronize lotteries."<p>The above is another example of how a shell card can be the key to discovering fascinating information about history and background. Did you know that once a numismatist discovers and becomes involved in tokens and medals, he or she tends to make it a lifetime pursuit. Remarkable contrast to many who enter numismatics seeking quick profits and who are gone within a year or two.<p>，Ex Q. David Bowers Collection.，
