What was once described in the Morning Chronicle of May 17, 1808 as “The grandest spectacle in the universe”, Pidcock's Menagerie must truly have been a sensory delight for Georgian London. Located at Exeter Exchange on the Strand, Pidcock exhibited a variety of exotic animals. After opening in 1793, the menagerie included “African lions, tigers, nylghaws, beavers, kangaroos, grand cassowary, emus, and ostriches” to name a few. Perhaps the most astonishing thing however, was that this whole enterprise was located on the second floor!

This particular type, along with a number of other designs depicting exotic fauna were produced for Pidcock by Charles James in his London offices located at No. 6 Martlett Court, Bow Street.  On this token, James engraved two exotic animals, the Wandrow (also known as Lion-tailed Macaque) and the African Crown Crane. The former is now an endangered species, endemic to the south westernmost regions of India. Despite also being endangered, the African Crown Crane can be found throughout nearly all of Africa.