Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

Circuses, Lord George Sanger, brass Two Shillings and Sixpence by H.B. Sale, lord george the original sanger limited around not transferable, revs. value, 31mm, 9.32g (W 973), 24mm, 4.12g (W 972) [2]. Very fine £40-50

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Tickets and Passes of London from the David Young Collection.

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Provenance: W.J. Noble Collection, Part II, Noble Numismatics Pty Auction 61B (Melbourne), 3-4 August 1999, lot 752 (part) [from S.E. Schwer 1984]; bt L. McCarthy November 2002.

‘Lord’ George Sanger (1827-1911) and his brother John (1816-89) were famous Victorian showmen, credited with elevating the British circus into a serious spectacle, partly in response to massed American touring companies like those of ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody. In 1871 the Sangers bought Astley’s Amphitheatre in Lambeth and ran it until 1884. George Sanger retired in 1905 and published his autobiography in 1910; the following year he was murdered by a disgruntled employee who then committed suicide