(1797) Penny New York Theatre Middlesex-167, BN PR (PCGS#90658)
The March 2012 Baltimore Auction
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 4006
- 等级
- PR65
- 价格
- 163,024
- 详细说明
- Undated (Circa 1798) New York Theatre Token. W-9080. Proof-65 BN (PCGS). The obverse depicts the building of the Park Theatre in Manhattan, which was under construction at the time these tokens were struck, and opened a few months later in early 1798. Surrounding the elegant building is the legend THE THEATRE AT NEW YORK below the building is AMERICA at the base, with the designer's name JACOBS above that in small letters. The reverse shows a large cornucopia spilling forth its wealth on the docks of New York, two sailing vessels in the sea nearby with bales, goods and anchors on the dock. Legends above state MAY COMMERCE FLOURISH. Handsome reflective brown surfaces and free of spots or handling issues. The strike is sharp and the fields and devices are simply outstanding in quality.<br />
These famous tokens were engraved by B. Jacobs and struck at Skidmore's Mint in London. They were struck in copper with a diameter of 34 millimeters. The obverse depicts the architect Brunel's conception of the famed Park Theatre in New York. Said theatre was the largest in New York, situated off Ann Street and Beekman, with the entrance on what became known as "Theatre alley". Large enough to seat 2,372 people, the theatre wrestled with financing and city building codes that hobbled its success. Finally opening after three years of construction delays in January of 1798, this was the largest theatre in Manhattan for a few decades. These tokens were struck to commemorate the opening of the theatre and promote its fame. All shows featured live actors in nightly performances. Only a handful of these tokens are known, and this piece is tied with one other as the finest seen in the Brown category. Perhaps a dozen exist in all.<br />
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<strong>Numismatic Reflections by Q. David Bowers</strong><br />
For many years this has been one of my favorites of the British conder tokens. The subject is strictly American and the diameter is penny (not halfpenny) size, making it quite
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