Theatre admission token, Great Britain, ca.1879

Blackburn's Campbell's Alhambra Palace, also known as Alhambra Music Hall, was opened in 1879 by a Mr Campbell, who also reopened the Royal Star Music Hall and Theatre of Varieties in nearby Darwen, Lancashire, in 1880. The Blackburn establishment was built as 'a better class of music hall' but closed by 1882 when local Magistrates granted it a dramatic license and it reopened as the New Royalty Theatre. Metal checks like this were issued at the box office on receipt of the entrance fee and were surrendered to check-takers at the entrance to the part of the house for which the tokens were valid. Some theatres issued tokens marked with the appropriate part of the house, such as 'Upper Gallery' or 'Pit'. This example does not, but hexagonal ones for the same theatre are known and they would have allowed admission to a different part of the auditorium.

Brass circular token inscribed 'CAMPBELL'S BLACKBURN' and in the centre 'ALHAMBRA PALACE', with a laurel wreath motif on the reverse.