Medal (Obverse), of the Beggar's Benison Club of Anstruther, Fife

This is the obverse of a medal produced in 1826 by the Beggar's Benison Club. This secretive club was established in Anstruther in Fife in 1732. It was preoccupied with phallic symbolism and fertility rites.

The medal is attached to a silk ribbon. The obverse has a picture of a naked man holding a spear, standing over a naked woman and child. Behind the figures is a dog. The inscriptions read: 'Beggars Benison, Anstruther' and 'Lose no opportunity'.

Clubs of all kinds were a prominent part of the Scottish social scene in the 18th and 19th centuries. Membership varied depending on whether they were set up for political, debating, literary or simply convivial purposes. Many met at favoured taverns.