A Birmingham or Liverpool double-sided plaque or badge, circa 1770
Of upright oval form with a gilt metal mount and hanging loop, printed in black with various emblems and the mottoes 'TRUST IN GOD', 'LEARN BY EXAMPLE' and 'ADHERE TO VIRTUE', the reverse with 'AVOID RIDICULE' and a scene representing the fable of the Father, Son and Donkey, 6.7cm high including mount
Footnotes:
Provenance
With Richard Gould Antiques, June 1989
E and J Handley Collection, illustrated 18th Century Transfer-Printed Porcelain and Enamels (1991), p.286
Bunny and Paul Davies Collection

A similar badge is illustrated by Colin Wyman, The Society of Bucks, ECC Trans, Vol.10, Pt.5 (1980), pls.131a and 131b (right). The author suggests that arms appear to mimic those of the Society of Bucks in a mocking tone.

There are two chips to the edge of the plaque at about 7 o'clock on the clockface, just adjacent to the mount, and another narrower slither chip just above at about 8 o'clock. There are a few fine and short cracks associated with these chips. There are three or four more fine cracks on the other side of the plaque which run in from the mount. These are short and hard to see with the naked eye. On the reverse, there is a chip on the edge at the top of the plaque, close to the hanging loop. It is about 0.3cm wide and 0.2cm deep and has a short crack associated with it. There are four or five fine short cracks at the bottom of the plaque on this side, running in from the mount.