Historical and Art Medals, Numismatic Books

British Historical Medals, Blackpool, an engraved gold and enamel award medal, unsigned, arms of the borough, rev. named (John Bickerstaffe, Esq., in recognition of valuable services to the Borough, Mayor of Blackpool 1889-90, 1890-1), 32mm, 18ct, 23.12g. Very fine and very rare; with integral clip and ring for suspension (£120-150)

Sir John Bickerstaffe (†1930), a Blackpool hotelier and businessman, visited the Paris Expo in 1889 in his capacity as mayor of Blackpool and was so impressed with Gustave Eiffel’s new tower that on his return he set up a committee of businessmen to raise funds for a similar tower in Blackpool. The Blackpool Tower Co Ltd, formed on 19 February 1891 and financed by Bickerstaffe to the tune of £20,000, purchased the land and commissioned Maxwell & Tuke, a Manchester firm of architects, to design a 500-foot tower. The foundation stone was laid in September 1891 and the tower opened on Whit Sunday, 14 May 1894. Bickerstaffe was elected an honorary freeman of the borough on 6 February 1912