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5 Cents - Officers' Mess 17th Hussars
| Issuer | Officers' Mess, 17th Hussars |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream paper stock with bold black letterpress print throughout. The regimental designation "17th Hussars" appears at the top, with the large denomination numeral "5c." centred, and "Officers' Mess" at the foot. No vignette or ornamental underprint. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 17th Hussars 5c. Officers' Mess |
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| Comments |
British regimental mess tokens and notes occupy a peculiar corner of military fiscal history. Officers' messes operated as private clubs within the regiment, running their own accounts, extending credit to members, and issuing their own scrip for internal transactions — entirely separate from the army's pay apparatus. The 17th Hussars, a light cavalry regiment with a long active record including the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava in 1854, would have used mess scrip of this kind to settle bar tabs, guest charges, and similar accounts without handling cash.
Dating such pieces is rarely straightforward. Regimental mess notes were not publicly issued and left almost no documentary trail.