Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 24014 - The Alfred Leonard Fuller of Bath Collection of English Silver Coins and Tokens
Lot: 689

MIDDLESEX, London, Pidcock's, Birds and Beasts Halfpenny, undated, plain edge, 5h, 7.91g (D&H 414), richly toned, very fine; another, Birds and Beasts Halfpenny, 1795, PAYABLE IN DUBLIN OR LONDON, on edge, 6h, 9.75g (D&H 415), hints of red, largely to reverse, extremely fine / nearing as struck; Elephant Halfpenny, undated, rev. rhinoceros right, obliquely milled edge, 6h, 7.74g (D&H 416a), flashy lustre, extremely fine; another, rev. two-headed cow, plain edge, 5h, 9.14g (D&H 422), lustrous, hints of red, extremely fine; Nylghau Halfpenny, undated, rev. ostrich, plain edge, 6h, 6.45g (D&H 445), minor surface marking, lustrous, extremely fine; another, undated, rev. Louis Rex, plain edge, 3h, 6.66g (D&H 446), some pinmarks, flashy dark fields, extremely fine; Antelope Halfpenny, 1795, rev. ostrich, plain edge, 6h, 10.97g (D&H 447), die flaw to edge, otherwise extremely fine; Zebra Halfpenny, undated, rev. crane, plain edge, 3h, 9.23g (D&H 451), lightly marked, lustrous, bolder very fine (8)

Provenance

The Alfred Leonard Fuller of Bath Collection (1870-1941)




Gilbert Pidcock was the owner of the famous 'Pidcock's Menagerie', located at Exeter Exchange on the Stand in London. The show was celebrated for its vast array of exotic animals from as far as Australia and South-East Asia, many of which Londoners had bever seen before, such as kangaroos, elephants, rhinoceros and cockatoos.



Pidcock had worked in travelling shows from a young age, and in 1795 took sole ownership of the London menagerie. As well as exotic animals, the exhibit was also notorious for its unusual specimens, famously a two-headed heifer. The London Chronicle wrote, 'This very remarkable creature has two Heads, Four Horns, Four Ears, Four Nostrils, through each of which it breathes, &c. This truly wonderful Curiosity is the only one of the kind in Europe'.

Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Sold for
£1,200

Starting price
£5