Historical and Art Medals, Numismatic Books

Scotland, Automobile-Club de France, 1895, a bronze Société d’Encouragement award medal by J.-B. Daniel-Dupuis, semi-naked female figure sat on tricycle, right hand holding a torch and left hand on the tiller, rev. legend above wreath, named (7e Salon de l’Automobile 1904, Concours d’Élégance des Voitures Automobiles…Hozier Engineering Cy. Ldt), 68mm (PBE 305; BM Acq. 1983-7, pl.39, 63; cf. Gaz. Num. 1898, p.23, 197; cf. Baudey/Bricher 1992, 28; cf. DNW 58, 1534). Good very fine, of particular Scottish interest; in maroon velvet-lined fitted case (£50-70)

Provenance:
DNW Auction 62, 30 June 2004, lot 1528.

The Hozier Engineering Co Ltd was established by Alex Govan (1869-1907), a motor engineer, and the financier W.A. Smith, in Hozier street, Glasgow, in 1899. Govan’s particular expertise was in selling and servicing French cars – De Dions, Renaults and Darracqs – and his first car, the Argyll, a voiturette with a De Dion engine, was launched to the Scottish motoring public in June 1900. Govan was a great believer in the value of motor sport for increasing brand exposure and in a five-day reliability trial run by the RAC in 1901 the Argyll was the only car to finish unpenalised. He also entered cars in the annual Tourist Trophy races on the Isle of Man, with a modicum of success which was translated into a full order book – by 1904 the factory was working round the clock to produce 25 cars a week. In 1905 Hozier Engineering was liquidated and a new company, Argyll Motors Ltd, established with £500,000 working capital. A new factory at Alexandria, on the banks of Loch Lomond, was opened by Lord Montagu in 1906, with the capacity to produce 2,500 cars a year but, despite Argyll mass-producing more cars than every other manufacturer except Ford in Detroit, this figure was never achieved. The decisive blow came in June 1907 when Govan died of a heart attack and the company went into liquidation the following year. Sold with much further documentation, including illustrations of the Argyll Motor Works at Alexandria and of Argyll cars