Theatre and Entertainment, COVENT GARDEN, Theatre Royal, Second Theatre, O.P. [Old Price] Riots, 1809, brass (3, two plated), draped bust of John Kemble wearing fool’s cap, trumpet and rattle below, oh my head aitches, etc, revs. o p, john bull’s jubilee, etc around, all 25mm, 4.72g/1h (W 169; D & W 17/187), 4.94g/6h, 4.80g/10h (both W 170, and first p.28, this piece illustrated; D & W 17/188); National Anti Corn Law League, 1845, white metal, wheatsheaf, national anti corn law league, rev. free trade bazaar, etc, 17mm, 1.93g (W 1944; D & W 16/182); Kempson’s London Buildings, copper Penny, 1795, type 2, frontal elevation of a church, st pauls church covent garden, etc, rev. london penny token around City arms, 33mm, 21.90g/6h (DH Middlesex 52) [5]. First fine, others very fine; second pierced for suspension £50-70

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: First three DNW Auction T6, 19 March 2009, lot 662 (part); fourth bt H. Simmons October 2005; last bt D. Stuart September 2014.

In the wake of the rebuilding of the theatre in 1808, the proprietor John Kemble saw fit to increase prices for the boxes and the pit. A riotous demand for the old pre-1808 prices to be restored ensued, only brought to an end several months later when Kemble agreed to reduce the price of a place in the pit to that which had been previously current. Henry Clifford was the champion of the protesters