Orders, Decorations and Medals Including five Special Collections

Alexander Davison’s Medal for The Nile 1798, bronze-gilt, inscribed in running script in the reverse field ‘Richd. Baker. Bellerophon’, the medal contained in a contemporary hinged glazed case, together with the original printed notice that accompanied the medal, the reverse inscribed in ink ‘Richd. Baker, Bellerophon, Captain Darby’, and a certificate of service signed by Captain Darby certifying that ‘Richard Baker has served as Able Seaman on Board of his Majesty’s Ship Bellerophon under my Command from the First Day of April One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Six to the 30th Day of April One Thousand Eight Hundred’, both documents professionally restored, the medal nearly extremely fine with particularly good original fire-gilding, a very rare survival £1200-1500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval and Indian Marine Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin.

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Richard Baker was born at Heston in about 1774. He served as a Landsman aboard the Bellerophon, Captain William Hope, in Admiral Lord Howe’s action on 1 June 1794; and as an Able Seaman in the same ship, now commanded by Captain Henry D’Esterre Darby, at the battle of the Nile under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson on 1 August 1798. At the time of leaving the Bellerophon in May 1800, he was described as being 26 years old, of fair complexion, and five feet six inches in height. Richard Baker lived to claim the Naval General Service medal in 1848, which was granted with two clasps for the First of June and the Nile, he then being about 65 years old.