Token Tuesday: 1793-1799 Ricketts's Circus Token Philadelphia Silver NGC MS62

Undated (1793-99) Ricketts's Circus, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Silver, Rulau E-PA-428, R.8, MS62 NGC. The story of John Bill Ricketts and his circus tokens, silver and bronze, was told in Roger S. Siboni's article, "The Ricketts's Circus Tokens," that appeared in the March/April 2015 issue of the MCA Advisory. The obverse features the Ricketts family coat of arms while the reverse has RICKETTS'S CIRCUS on two lines with a wreath below and ornamentation above. The 1793 to 1799 date range for these undated tokens is based on the time that Ricketts's Circus operated in Philadelphia. The circus opened on April 3, 1793, to nearly 700 patrons. The end of the affair in Philadelphia occurred in December 1799 when the circus and several nearby buildings were lost to a fire that began when a trusted employee left a lit candle in the building.



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