Tokens like these were used in exchange for drinks or sometimes given by pubs as part of a customer's change.They often have the name or initials of the pub on them, so they could not be used anywhere else.Sometimes they also have the landlord's name on them, so that if the pub changed hands, the new landlord would not have to honour old tokens. This token was issued by the Black Lion Inn when it was run by Abraham Smith. From at least 1792 a pub by the name of the Black Lion was situated on the site at St Mary's Street. In the early 20th century the pub's name was changed to the Sandringham Hotel. A letter sent on 28th October 1901 which argues against changing the name of the Black Lion described the pub as: “a house of entertainment for man and beast, and many a Cardiff tradesman of the old school and several old salts of the then small port of the River Taff were wont to congregate at the hostelry in the evening, and take their ease at that inn”. A stone lion on the top of the building is a reminder of its past.
Physical description
Circular metal token with a dotted pattern around the face.
