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Auction: 24006 - British and World Coins
Lot: 506

The Theatre Royal, Bristol (Old Vic), King Street, Subscriber's Sterling Silver Theatre Accession Ticket (No. 35), dated 30 May 1766, entitling: ~ "The Proprietor of this Ticket is Entitled to the Sight of Every Performance to be Exhibited in this House" ~, rev. KING STREET | Bristol Theatre | May 30 1766 in three lines of italicised, small capitals and cursive script, edge plain, 13.95g, 12h (Spink XRF: 92.47% Ag; 7.27% Cu; 0.255% Au), light rim bruising, otherwise toned, fine, of the highest rarity, with only 50 'silver' tickets originally distributed to subscribers, and 2 'gold' tickets to the founders; most genuine examples now housed in museum collections

Provenance

Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd, 'Auction of Antiques, Fine Art and Collectables', 28 October 2023, lot 481 - £9,200

Thomas Wadham (High Sheriff of Bristol in 1843 who established Winterbourne School)
John Wadham (a prominent Bristol Blue Glassmaker, owner of Frenchay Manor, and director of the Bristol Floating Harbour Company in 1820)

William Jones, a shareholder of the theatre, acquired the ticket in 1766



There were fifty original 'silver tickets' that were gifted to those who helped fund the Bristol Old Vic theatre on King Street in 1766, as well as two 'gold' tickets. Each receiver had pledged the sum of £50 towards the building, and in return were granted the right to watch every performance in the theatre, forever - a promise that the theatre still says it would continue to honour today: "We famously uphold our policy for all the tokens that have been authenticated".



The 'gold' tickets were actually made from silver, but their benefits were transferable, meaning that the ticket could be lent out by the owners. It Is believed that these were given to a man called Edward Crump (a cabinet maker) and his wife Ann for the "great trouble and expense" they had experienced to rally for the building of the theatre on the land.



Several of the silver tokens, and one of the gold, have subsequently been donated to the University of Bristol Theatre Collection. In 2016, to mark the 250th anniversary of the theatre, new tickets were minted in silver. There were each sold for £50,000 to raise funds needed to renovate the theatre.



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Estimate
£10,000 to £12,000

Starting price
£10000