FRANCE, Mutualité des Peigneurs [Benefit Society for Woolcombers], 1896, an Art Nouveau silver medal by H.-J. Lefebvre, female half-right, head turned to left, leaning on a beam and holding an oak branch, rev. female standing at a wool-combing machine, other workers in background, edge impressed argent and cornucopia, 45mm, 49.85g (PBE 523; Coll. R. Marx 445; BDM III, 369). Very fine, scarce £50-£70

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Silich Collection of Historical and Art Medals.

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The ‘mutuality’ of wool-combers stemmed from a meeting in Lille on 3 December 1881, when 17 firms from Roubaix, Tourçoing, Amiens, Avesnes and Douai agreed to form a tontine to fight the competition from England and Germany. The agreement later fell apart and it was not until March 1895 that a new agreement was signed between seven firms and the cartel was strengthened.