Historic Bristol Old Vic Theatre Token Set for Auction

An item described as a “proper piece of Bristol history” is anticipated to sell for thousands of pounds at auction this week. This theatre token, dating from 1766, is one of 50 initially presented to the inaugural shareholders of the Bristol Old Vic theatre, who contributed to financing its construction from 1764 to 1766. This “incredibly rare” artifact, which granted its holder unlimited entry to performances, is scheduled for auction at the Bristol-based Auctioneum on Thursday. Andrew Stowe, the auctioneer, stated that only 20 of these silver tokens are currently known to be in existence, noting: “Every now and again, another token gets discovered and this is just one such of those newly discovered tokens.” The auctioneers have assigned an estimated sale value of between £5,000 and £10,000 for the item. Last year, a different token of this type fetched £9,200 at an auction house in Wiltshire; at that time, the Bristol Old Vic indicated it might still be valid for its new proprietor. The token bears the inscription: “The proprietor of this ticket is entitled to the sight of every performance to be exhibited in this house.” On its reverse, it states: “King Street Bristol Theatre, May 30, 1766.” Token No.31 was originally owned by shareholder Daniel Harson; however, by 1816, it had come into the possession of another shareholder, John Palmer. Records from 1925 indicate that the coin was subsequently transferred to A. A. Levy-Langfield, remaining within that family until its acquisition by the present owner in 2009. Mr. Stowe commented: “The theatre on King Street went on to become the Old Vic, which went on to spawn the Old Vic Theatre School where some of the world’s most famous actors trained.” He added that “The knock-on story for both the history of Bristol and the wider world is just so, so special.”