Description:

Red-light Robbery! 1st Attributed Broadside Advertising a "Baudy:house being Robbd"

A printed broadside from Newcastle, England issued on April 30, 1807 announcing a 10 guinea reward for any information leading to the capture of suspected thief Rebecca Coxon (M. Angus and Son, Printers). Pen inscribed in an unknown hand along the bottom as: "This is perhaps the first Advertisement about a Baudy:house being Robbd." Expected wear including gentle paper folds, several closed tears, and a minor area of loss in the lower right corner, else very good to near fine. 6.375" x 8.75."

A certain Sarah Duncan of Pandon Street, Newcastle was robbed of a significant amount of paper money, hard currency, jewelry, vertu, and clothing on the night of April 24-25, 1807, about one week before this broadside was posted. The suspect was a teenaged girl named Rebecca Coxon. We may assume that Duncan was a madame, considering the amount of money and personal property that was stolen from her. The suspected thief's age, physical appearance, mannerisms, and dialect as described in the broadside suggest that she may have been employed either as a lady of the night or as a domestic in the brothel.

"Description.

She [Rebecca Coxon] is between Eighteen and Nineteen Years of Age, nearly Six Feet high, stoops forward in walking, fair Complexion, coarse Featured, light grey Eyes, light Hair, a Dimple on each Cheek, and has a remarkable long Neck, large Hands and Feet, and turns in her Toes when Walking; she is a Native of Stockton, and speaks that Country Dialect; she had on when she went away, a light buff spotted Gown, white Petticoat and Stockings, and a Straw Hat…"

Pandon Street, where Duncan's establishment was located, is found in modern day Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in northeastern England about 60 miles south of the Scottish border. Suspected robber Rebecca Coxon came from Stockton-on-Tees, some 38 miles to the southeast. Was she seeking her fortune in a larger city, before turning to a life of crime?

The amount of money involved in the robbery is considerable. The estimated purchasing power of 10 guineas (£10, 10 shillings) in 1810 represented the equivalent of 70 days of wages earned by a skilled tradesman, or one horse, according to a historical metric provided by the British National Archives. Around 1800, only about 3% of the British population netted an annual income of £200, the sum in gold alone purportedly stolen by Coxon.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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