A Fine Collection of Racing Tickets and Passes, the Property of a North Country Collector
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Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. Not for nothing is it known as the ‘sport of kings’, a tradition that can perhaps be dated to the time of James I, who would rather spend time with his horses at Newmarket than be involved in affairs of state. The first Gold Cup was staged as far back as 1634 and, while Oliver Cromwell kept double standards in that he banned racing while retaining a stud of his own, the sport flourished under Charles II and James II. Queen Anne kept a large stable and was instrumental in founding Royal Ascot and by the middle of the 18th century the Jockey Club was formed to create and apply the rules of racing, which have largely come down to the present day. Royalty, the aristocracy and the nobility continue to patronise the turf as owners, but the appeal of the sport to the general public from a betting perspective, from lords to laymen, millionaires to merchants, stockbrokers to students, is as strong today as it was in Georgian times.
The collection described in the following 113 lots is the most comprehensive of its kind ever offered at a numismatic auction. Formed with diligence over the past 30 years by a discerning collector who himself has owned racehorses, it features a number of museum-quality pieces from the days when substantial sums of money were subscribed by the well-to-do and the merchant classes, enabling grandstands to be built at the various tracks up and down the country. In return subscribers would receive a ticket or pass, often for a lengthy period of 20 or more years and sometimes even for life, enabling them to free admission. Among the highlights in the collection are the York medal awarded to Lord Rockingham in 1768, two years after his first term as Prime Minister (Lot 3274), a medal awarded to the Earl of Sefton, founder of Aintree racecourse (Lot 3219), a medal awarded to John Smyth, Master of the Mint at the turn of the 19th century (Lot 3268), a pair of medals to the 12th Earl of Derby, founder of the Derby and Oaks racing festivals (Lots 3216-17), and from the modern era, another pair awarded to the only horse to be victorious in both the Arkle Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Lot 3213) – P.J.P-M.
Collection Information
This collection was sold on 12 December 2016.
Other Collections Sold in 2016
- The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals
- Coins of Charles I From the Lyall Collection
- A Collection of Medals to the Gloucestershire Regiment (28th and 61st Foot)
- A Collection of Medals to The South Wales Borderers
- A Collection of Medals to the Manchester Regiment
- A Collection of Militaria to the Gloucestershire Regiment (28th and 61st Foot)
- A Parcel of Coins from the Durham (Neville’s Cross) Hoard, 1889
- A Collection of British Silver and Copper Coins, 1662-1758, the Property of a Cambridge Scholar
- A Collection of Shillings, Charles II to Edward VII, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Good Group of Victorian Florins, 1849-1901, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Maundy Coins and Sets, Charles II to Elizabeth II, the Property of a Gentleman
- Edward VIII Coins and Related Ephemera, from the Estate of the late Miss Fairlie Hopkin
- Numismatic Books from the Library of the late Jeffrey Gardiner, Darlington
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of the late David Perry
- A Group of Cheques Signed By the Late Lord Lucan
- A Collection of English Hammered Coins, the Property of a Cambridge Scholar
- Pennies of the Durham Mint, from the Collection of Ray Robinson
- A Collection of British Milled Coins, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Shillings, George III to George V, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Ancient Coins, the Property of a Gentleman
- British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Neil Todd
- A Group of Admiral Vernon Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- The Channer Family Medals
- A Collection of Gallantry Awards to the Indian Army for the Burma Campaign 1944-45
- A Small Collection of Medals to The Military Police
- The Collection of Nottinghamshire 17th Century Tokens formed by Andrew Knighton
- The Collection of Somerset 17th Century Tokens formed by the late Terry Winsborough
- The Collection of Staffordshire Tokens formed by the late Edward Watkin
- Other British Tokens from the Collection formed by the late Edward Watkin
- British Tokens from the Collection formed by Tony Holmes
- Tokens and Gaming Counters from the Collection of Colin Narbeth
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of Derek Platts
- A Further Group of Admiral Vernon Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- British Coins from the Collection of the late Edward Watkin
- A Collection of British Coins sold on behalf of the Royal Flying Corps Veterans Association
- The Berscar (Dumfries and Galloway) 2014 Hoard of Edwardian Sterlings
- The Collection of Medals to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- The Collection of Medals to Musicians formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- The Collection of Militaria to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord
- A Collection of Banknotes of Northern Ireland, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Medals to the West Yorkshire (14th Foot) and Yorkshire (19th Foot) Regiments
- A Collection of Medals to Members of the Nobility and The Royal Household
- Irish Coins from the C.J. Boismason Collection
- British Historical Medals from the Collection of Michael Longfield
- A Collection of City of London Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- The Collection of Sussex 17th Century Tokens formed by Tim Everson
- A Fine Collection of Racing Tickets and Passes, the Property of a North Country Collector
- British Tokens from the Collection of the late David Perry
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