The earliest card tickets date from the early 18th century and were produced for Benefit performances. Benefit tickets were often beautifully decorated with engraved images, although this one for the Metropolitan, Edgware Road, is unillustrated and relatively plain. A benefit performance was a way of raising money for individuals, usually one of the performers or the author, who would keep all profits from the ticket sales, once the expenses had been deducted. Sometimes the money went to the family of an actor who was unwell or had died. In this case, the benefit was held for the Head Waiter and Refreshment Manager of the Metropolitan Theatre.