Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

Exhibitions and Museums, LEICESTER SQUARE, Holophusicon, Sir Ashton Lever, copper, sr a l, star onaments above and below, rev. holophusicon, star ornaments above and below, 37mm, 15.05g (W 1024; D & W 76/221; Young, Entertainments, pp.32-3). Good very fine, rare £150-£200

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: With Baldwin 1989; bt R. Gladdle February 2005.

Sir Ashton Lever (1729-88), b Alkrington Hall, Rochdale, accumulated one of the largest private collections of natural objects – flora, fauna and animals. He opened his museum in 1766 and moved it to London in 1774, opening in February following year. He became bankrupt in 1786 and applied to Parliament for permission to dispose of his collections by lottery, but only 8,000 of a proposed 36,000 tickets were sold at £1 each