The Collection of 18th Century Tokens formed by Dr David L Spence

Bermondsey, Thomas Keys, Skidmore’s Halfpenny, 1789, conjoined ts between two keys, rev. two clarinets and French horn around flaming heart, edge skidmore holborn london, 12.95g/10h (DH 4; D & W 65/158). Extremely fine and patinated, extremely rare (£400-600)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of 18th Century Tokens formed by Dr David L Spence.

View
Collection

Provenance:
W. Longman Collection, Glendining Auction, 12-13 March 1958, lot 262 (part)
bt Baldwin November 1973.

Superior to the specimen illustrated in DH; only one other example seen by the cataloguer in commerce. Thomas Keys (1722-1800), b. Gloucester, a self-taught artist, bought the Waterman's Arms and four acres of land in Bermondsey in 1766, which he laid out as a tea-garden and named it the Bermondsey Spa Garden; subsequently he hosted musical concerts and erected a picture gallery and museum on the site. After Keys’ death the popularity of the Garden declined and by 1806 it had closed