Coins, Historical Medals and Antiquities

Grand Sunderland Bridge Lottery, 1816, an original ticket, No.1041, signed by Cuthbert Ellison on behalf of the Trustees, vignette of bridge at top left. Extremely fine £40-£60

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals of Bridges from the David Young Collection.

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Provenance: Bt May 2006.

The Sunderland Bridge lottery was to raise money for Rowland Burdon, the town’s MP, who had largely funded the iron bridge across the river Wear, which opened in August 1796 and appears on his tokens. The prize was a share in the toll money paid to cross the bridge or the rights to ferry people across the river. Burdon was a partner at a bank in Berwick and had advanced £30,000 on the bridge. When the bank failed in 1806, and to avoid any losses, a further Act of Parliament was obtained in order to allow the bridge commissioners to sell shares to the public in a lottery. The £30,000 was divided into 150 prizes, with the highest being £5,000. The draw took place on 1 December 1816 and each of the 6,000 ticket holders was presented with a commemorative medal. The prize winners were given a 5% payment from the bridge tolls, which operated for pedestrians until 1846