Kings Shilling Pewter Glass Bottom Tankard by ThePresentStore

Pewter 'King's Shilling Glass Bottom Pint Tankard Made in Sheffield Height= 123mm x 103mm When a press gang was looking for crew to join the Royal Navy, they would often go into ale houses to find able bodied men. They offered to buy their new friends a beer, then secretly drop a shilling into the mug. Having drunk all the ale, the poor victim was judged to have 'accepted the Kings Shilling' and therefore volunteered to join the navy. To try and keep their customers, the landlords introduced glass bottomed tankards, so that the prospective crew member was able to look into their beer and see the shilling before accepting the kind gift. Supplied in gift box