Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

United States of America, ALABAMA, Great Eastern Menagerie Museum, hollow brass shell card, elephant right, great eastern menagerie museum aviary, circus and balloon show is coming, rev. the great mammoth baloon air ship 95 feet high will ascend to the clouds freighted with people each day of exhibition, balloon inscribed city of paris, flags flying from gondola, 37mm, 7.15g (Bowers AL 180; Rulau 256). Fine, very rare £80-£100

Provenance: D. Young Collection [from L. McCarthy November 2002].

Formed in 1872, this company was the successor to Haight & Co's Circus, Museum and Menagerie and was owned by Andrew Haight, who was also a principal in several other circus troupes of the day. George W. DeHaven, one of the show's managers, obtained equity in the company through a loan from two Atlanta, Georgia banks. The show retired to Cincinnati to prepare for the 1872 season; DeHaven left the company at this point and was replaced by Jacob Haight, Andrew's brother. The show wintered in Selma, Alabama in the 1872-73 off-season. After the 1874 season the show was dismantled and many of the people involved formed other troupes (with acknowledgement to Stack’s/Bowers and the catalogue of the Q.D. Bowers Collection of 19th Century Shell Cards, Part I, 15 August 2016)