Malta, ‘Sherry Girl Tokens’, Bull and Bush Music Hall, obv. BULL & BUSH * MUSIC HALL * around JOSEPH LICARI, rev. shield with a bull and bush, aluminium, 22mm (Lyall 1011); Cairo Bar Tabarin Music Hall (2), obv. CAIRO BAR over a sphinx, SLIEMA underneath, rev. TABARIN + MUSIC HALL around a star and crescent, aluminium, 21mm (Lyall 1012); similar but in brass (Lyall 1013) [3]. Fine to very fine, some stains on the last piece, rare £60-£80

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, World Tokens, the Property of a North Country Collector.

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Provenance: first two acquired in Malta, the last bt. Format 1996

Many of the bars in Malta engaged young ladies to entertain customers in conversation and dancing (many of these bars were frequented by Royal Navy personal). The customers would buy the girls a drink, hence the ‘Sherry Girl’ reference, and the bar would serve the girls a weak or non-alcoholic drink that looked like a proper drink. At the end of the night the girls would hand in their tokens and receive 2/3rds of the value of the drink. The girls had to be licensed by the Police Department and were issued with a numbered badge