A delightful regency episode observed at a society card game. 20 guineas was a large amount of money and its equivalent in gold would have weighed 166 g (about 6 oz.).
“At a fashionable whist party, a few evenings since, considerable merriment was excited by the following repartee:
“A lady, having won a rubber of 20 guineas, the gentleman who was her opponent pulled out his pocket-book and tendered 21l in bank notes. The fair gamester observed, with a disdainful toss of her head, ‘in the great houses which I frequent, Sir, we always use gold.’ – ‘That may be, Madam,’ replied the gentleman, ‘but in the little houses which I frequent we always use paper.'”
Stamford Mercury 28th November, 1806.