REVIEW: HISTORICAL MEDALS: 5 MARCH

Exceptional quality and rarity combined to produce a stream of multi-estimate results in this sale, with each of the top four lots doubling or even trebling their price guides.

An outstanding result came for a very rare gold medal commemorating the Union of England and Scotland, 1707 by the master jeweller and medallist John Croker (1670-1741), who had become chief engraver at the Royal Mint in 1705.

 

Croker produced an impressive array of medals over a 35-year period from 1697, including for historic events such as the Battles of Blenheim (1704) Malplaquet (1709) and Sheriffmuir (1715), as well as for the Accession and then Coronation of Queen Anne (1702), the Peace of Utrecht (1713) and the Coronation of George I (1714).

The Union medal shows the bust of Queen Anne left, with the reverse displaying the arms of Britain upon escutcheon, crown above supported by two cherubs. A fine example of Croker’s skill as an engraver, this example has only minor surface marks and hairlines, and is in nearly extremely fine condition. At 34mm in diameter and weighing 23.31g, it left its £5,000-7,000 estimate far behind as the hammer fell at £22,000.

Achieving the same hammer price was an early Royal Agricultural Society gold medal by William Wyon (1795-1851), who became chief engraver to the Mint in 1828 and was responsible for landmark issues such as the bust of The Young Head, which was used on Queen Victoria’s coinage from 1838 to 1860.

The idea that science was the key to progress in agriculture became popular at the beginning of Victoria’s reign, leading to the granting of a Royal Charter to the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1840.

These Patroness gold medals were awarded for excellence in agricultural examinations. Showing the diademed head of Victoria left, the reverse with the legend Practice With Science within a wreath, the 55mm diameter, 123.17g medal had some surface marks and hairlines but was otherwise in extremely fine condition and came in a fitted case with an estimate of £7,000-9,000.

Another Wyon medal, this one for the Institute of British Architects (Inc. 1837), showing the same diademed head of Victoria on the obverse and a legend within wreath on the reverse, was also 55mm. With some surface marks, it was otherwise in about extremely fine condition and very rare. Presented in a contemporary fitted case with a guide of £7,000-9,000, it sold for £17,000.

Wyon was also responsible for the William IV, Coronation gold medal of 1831, showing the bust of the King right, accompanied by the bust of Queen Adelaide right on the reverse. The 33mm diameter piece was faintly hairlined, but otherwise in good extremely fine condition and, as such, rare. Again, in its original fitted case, it left its estimate of £6,000-8,000 behind to sell for £13,000.