Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

Step Right Up: Circus and Sideshow Memorabilia

Thu, Sep 3, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-03 11:00:00 2026-09-03 11:00:00 America/New_York Potter & Potter Auctions Potter & Potter Auctions : Step Right Up: Circus and Sideshow Memorabilia https://auction.potterauctions.com/auctions/potter-potter/step-right-up-circus-and-sideshow-memorabilia-23625
Featuring the collection of lifelong circus collector John Diesso, this auction includes heralds, couriers, and posters advertising the "greatest shows" of yesteryear. Photographs, route books, scrapbooks, and circus costumes will be also be offered, spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A wide array of early European circus posters will be sold, along with a large library of circus books of several thousand volumes.
Potter & Potter Auctions info@potterauctions.com
Lot 577

BIDDENDEN MAIDS (Elisa and Mary Chulkhurst, 1100–1134). Brass Heart-shaped Tin with Engraving. 19th century. 

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000

BIDDENDEN MAIDS (Elisa and Mary Chulkhurst, 1100–1134). Brass Heart-shaped Tin with Engraving. 19th century. Tin is engraved: "BIDDENDEN / ELISA & MARY CHULKHURST" with an image of the siamese twins, their birth year, and age at death. 

According to folklore, Elisa and Mary were Siamese twins joined at the shoulders and hips from the village of Biddenden in Kent, England. Their story has inspired an annual Easter tradition in which commemorative biscuits, stamped with their image, are distributed to the poor.

Condition

Surface scratches and minor oxidisation. Good.

Available payment options

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Amex
  • Diners
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • Union Pay

If your bid is successful, as an alternative to in-house shipping, we can provide you with a list of shippers. We will not be responsible for the acts or omissions of carriers or packers whether or not recommended by us. Property will not be released to the shipper without the buyer's written consent and until payment has been made in full. Packing and handling by us of purchased lots is at the entire risk of the purchaser, and Potter and Potter Auctions, Inc. will have no liability of any loss or damage to such items. Packing and shipping expenses shall be added to buyer's invoice and will reflect a charge for labor, materials, insurance, transportation, as well as actual shipper fees.