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An 18th-century theater token offering free shows for life to a Bristol, United Kingdom, theater was auctioned off Saturday.
The theater, still extant, plans to honor the token’s offer if the coin is authentic.
The token to the Bristol Theatre was dated for its opening date on May 30, 1766, and was sold off for 9,200 pounds ($11,155) by the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house, per a post on its Instagram page.
The silver token is one of 50, minted for the original shareholders that invested in the theater. Each shareholder threw in 50 pounds, according to the BBC, a substantial sum in the 1760s, with the token that was auctioned off being the 35th one to be minted.
“It is believed 20 of the coins have survived but only a handful of these have ever been offered up for auction. The vendors are from Bristol and have always treasured the item as an important piece of local history,” a spokesperson for Henry Aldridge & Son told the BBC.
Each token holder was entitled to entry to watch every performance held there, for free, for life, according to the Guardian.
The theater happens to still be around, albeit under a new name. Now named the Bristol Old Vic, theater officials say they will honor the offer on the token, granting the unnamed buyer free tickets.
“We famously uphold our policy for all the tokens that have been authenticated. If it is indeed authentic, we will honor our policy and provide free tickets to the owner,” Bristol Old Vic told the Guardian.
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