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The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 15, April 11, 2004, Article 20 NUMISMATICS & RIOTS In March 21, 2004 E-Sylum (v7n12) I wrote: "... what numismatic items are the result of, or commemorate riots? I can think of one example, and rather than list it here I'll make it a quiz question for our readers. Let's see how different many examples you folks can think of." Well, I didn't think this would stump our readers, but I haven't received any replies on the topic. The incident I had in mind were the Old Price Riots, a civil disorder in Great Britain centered around the 1809 price increase at the new Covent Garden Theatre. "Covent Garden burnt to the ground in September of 1808. In rebuilding, the managers changed the design of the theatre to accommodate a larger audience and the dramatic spectacle that increasingly characterized theatrical production. The New Covent Garden included twenty-six private boxes in place of the old third-tier of dress boxes. In order to finance the rebuilding (which was funded partly by public subscription), the management raised ticket prices slightly. The theater audience objected to the raised prices and the new architecture, as well as to the hiring of Angelica Catalani. The changes to the theatre, they claimed, had been made autocratically without public approval. Chanting "OP" for Old Prices, the protestors staged elaborately theatrical riots inside the theatre. Rioters in the pits wore OP hats, danced the OP dance, sang OP songs, raised OP placards, and circulated satirical OP handbills. At one point, rioters organized an "OP ball" to take place within the theatre." From Old Price Riots The numismatic association is a medal, #677 in British Historical Medals 1760-1960, Volume I, pp. 166. See Article Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum | |
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