British Coins and Tokens

LONDON, Strand, Theatre Royal English Opera House, uniface lead, 2 galy. above t·r·e·o·h, 43mm, 14.72g (W 362, this piece illustrated; D & W 32/339). Good fine, rare £50-£70

F.E. Macfadyen Collection, Sotheby Auction, 15-16 July 1907, lot 265 (part); F.W. Yeates Collection; F.S. Cokayne Collection [from Baldwin August 1923]; D. Young Collection [from S.H. Monks June 2009]

The original Lyceum, built in 1765, was an academy for artists. In 1794 Philip Astley took it over as a venue for his amphitheatre, and in 1809 the building was refitted and opened as the Theatre Royal, English Opera House, where the company from Drury Lane performed until 1812. In 1816 it was rebuilt, but sadly it burned down in 1830. The new theatre dates from 1834, being renamed the Theatre Royal, Lyceum, in 1844.