constanius

These were very cheaply made, to be sold to people of modest means. They were not collected by wealthy people, and therefore were often used as coinage, lost etc and not saved in uncirculated condition like the expensive gold, silver and large bronze medals. Which means, though initially vastly more common than the expensive medals, because of attrition & wear they are extremely difficult to find in this condition. Being so very thin, with shallow detail, the slightest wear has a profound effect on them. So I was very lucky to find this nice example. Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland Page 679 56. CORONATION. 1689. NUREMBERG COUNTER. Busts conjoined, r., of William and Mary, both draped ; he is laureate. Leg. GVLIELMVS . ET . MARIA . REX . ET . REGINA. Below, LGL. R. (L. G. Lauffer's counter.) Rev. Arms of Great Britain within the Garter, crown, crest, and supporters ; below, rose, thistle, and scroll inscribed, DIEV . E . M . DROIT : above, W R, crowned. 1. Rev. Num. Belge, 1878, PI. vi. 19. MB. AE. M. Hohn, AE. This counter was struck at Nuremberg, and commemorates the coronation of William and Mary. Two pairs of dies were made for striking these pieces, the other having on the reverse G R, crowned, instead of W R crowned.

TUTA ET SINE SORDE literally means PROTECTION AND WITHOUT VILENESS or in plain english HONOURABLE PROTECTION

Scottish Charles II (1649-1685) Scottish copper Turner or Bodle (twopence) 1663 issue. 19mm. From the: HANDBOOK OF THE COINS OF GREAT BRITAIN. Page 206 Copper 207, Turner Ist issue Obv. CAR.D.G.SCOT.ANG.FRA.ET.HIB.R;m.m. cross of five pellets. Crown above C.R.; on r., mark of value II (=2d). Rev.NEMO.ME.IMPVNE.LACESSET.thistle with leaves, not crowned AE.8 wt 40.8 The II may be for the current value of the coin or may be for "secundus" To give some idea of 'value' a quart of the best ale or beer by measure sealed cost 1d in 1625. So for that turner/bodle or half groat you could have had about 4 pints of beer in 1663. The latin NEMO.ME.IMPVNE.LACESSET stands for 'Dunna mess wit me or y'll git a Glasgy kiss', or in english 'No one shall hurt me with impunity'

Fantastic write up Bill. I concur with Elder's sentiments: 'He goes on to recommend considering the neglected field of tokens and medals and US colonials'

All nice examples. Note also the use of ' forgive us our trespasses' versus 'forgive us our debts'. I believe one version uses 'sins'. Though I was brought up using 'trespasses', in this day and age I would prefer to have my 'debts' forgiven.

All nice examples of 'wordy medals' Thanks Guys. I would a medal like your one Frank!!!

This is rather strange. "Recd. The Royal Assent June. 7 2nd William IV.1832" The Royal assent was granted on June 7 1832, but why is '2nd' inserted between the date & 'William IV' It surely cannot be for seconded! Can it? Your link worked at this moment in time elverno, have you seen this posting of mine LINK of a medal of the Milan Cathedral. I think I need your help, had no replies yet. There is a Napoleonic connection, the cathedral had needed finishing, but money restraints had prevented this. Napoleon with his usual bold stroke made the church sell off its land holdings to pay for the cathedral to be finished.

You need to drink a glass of wine or better still 2 glasses. At the very least have a cuppa Earl Grey tea! Mem. = Member Bor. = Borough Ea. = Each P.AN = Per Annum Gatton Sarum was a Rotten Borough. Hope that helps.

Passage of the Reform Bill 1832. Earl Grey. WM.51 mm by Halliday. Well here goes: The REFORM BILL Passed The Commons March 23. The Lords June 4. Recd. The Royal Assent June 7 2nd William IV.1832 56 Boroughs Disfranchised 30 Old Bor. To Return 1 Member Ea. 22 New Bor. To Ret. 2 Members. 21 New Bor. 1 Mem. Ea. The Elective Franchise Vested In Freeholders Copyholders Of 10 Pounds P. An. Leaseholders 50 Pounds P. An. Householders 10 Pounds P. An. Rt. HONble. EARL GREY. Rev: BRITANNIA SUPPORTED BY JUSTICE DRIVES CORRUPTION FROM THE CONSTITUTION King Lords Commons in Triangle. Gatton Sarum on scroll under Britannia's Foot. MDCCCXXXII Halliday. F. Please let me know if I am intruding in your coin forum, or if you like British medals posted here as well.

Passage of the Reform Bill 1832. Earl Grey. WM.51 mm by Halliday. Well here goes: The REFORM BILL Passed The Commons March 23. The Lords June 4. Recd. The Royal Assent June 7 2nd William IV.1832 56 Boroughs Disfranchised 30 Old Bor. To Return 1 Member Ea. 22 New Bor. To Ret. 2 Mem. Ea. 21 New Bor. 1 Mem. Ea. The Elective Franchise Vested In Freeholders Copyholders Of 10 Pounds P. An. Leaseholders 50 Pounds P. An. Householders 10 Pounds P. An. Rt. HONble. EARL GREY. Rev: BRITANNIA SUPPORTED BY JUSTICE DRIVES CORRUPTION FROM THE CONSTITUTION King Lords Commons in Triangle. Gatton Sarum on scroll under Britannia's Foot. MDCCCXXXII Halliday. F.

Later Medal This is an early medal, the design was changed to 'improve ' Watts appearance later by making him look younger. Taken from a marble bust by William Wyon of James Watt Silver medal, approx 45mm across 48 grams, plain edge, no edge mark, nice old original toning with some blue tints, for the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Engraved by by William Wyon. In 1832 the Fox family, a prominent Quaker business family of Falmouth, founded the Cornwall Polytechnic Society, to promote the ideas and inventions of the workers in their Perran Foundry. Medal depicts James Watt (19 January 1736 – 25 August 1819), a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. This was the first use of Polytechnic in England. In 1835 King William IV bestowed Royal Patronage on the Society, at the request of Davies Gilbert and it changed its name from the Cornwall Polytechnic Society to the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Therefore this medal is post 1835 (dated 1833 for the foundation of the society)

I was too polite to mention that, as I did not want to cause any embarrassment to anyone. Sorry, I noticed that you don't mention poppies...........!

From the Roman Goddess Ceres by Barbette Stanley Spaeth. ' Vergil calls the flower "the poppy of Ceres" cereale papaver. The poppies on the Ara Pacis relief are those of the opium poppy, papaver somniferum........... The opium that the plant produces connects it with sleep and death, and hence refers to her (Ceres) liminal aspect

Rereading the article it does say "figure" not head but it could still have been Ceres and her head from that medal that was the pattern for the iconic concorde head. Perhaps some one will have the design that won in 1840 or if a medal was actually produced. For such an iconic symbol of republican Franch there is not much info available on its origins (perhaps the info has been deliberately supressed, if it was designed pre-revolution?). I also notice that in descriptions of the head, all mention of the opium poppies is missing.

Exposition Universelle Paris 1878. Obv. by OUDINE. Rev. Palais Du Champ De Mars. by LAGRANGE. 51mm Bronze original strike. The head of Ceres with "Concord" head band. Designed by Eugene Andre Oudine (1810-89) who worked for the Paris Mint. Used in french coins (not my coin) Does this article refer to Oudines Ceres Head? Engravers and their connection with the mint in the nineteenth century. Written by Jean Belaubre, published in Bulletin 34 (1972) of the Club Français de la Médaille, and translated by David Block. THE CONSULTING COMMITTEE OF ENGRAVERS. "Never the less, on 13 June 1840 the committee determined "that there are no more urgent reproductions to be made"; it "thinks that part of the available funds might be spent on making new dies and punches here-in-after to be designated", a head of Hippocrates (50 mm) and a figure with attributes related to agricultural societies (50 mm). Eugene Dubois received two thousand francs for the first; Oudine twenty five hundred for the second. After having submitted their designs for criticism each artist engraved a punch and two dies for his subject. They still weren't through with prize medals" Thanks due to elverno for his Napoleonic website, for the article.

Very interesting comment and supposition The Gallic rooster (French: le coq gaulois) In Roman times, 2000 years ago, France was known as Gaul. The Latin word "Gallus" not only meant "a person who lives in Gaul" but also was the word for "rooster". The Romans liked this joke, and over a period of time, this play on words meant that the rooster came to represent the Gauls. Napoleon introduced the symbol of the eagle to replace the rooster, since he felt it was more "important" and kingly. Although they were presented with Regimental Colours, the regiments of Napoleon I tended to carry at their head the Imperial Eagle. This was the bronze sculpture of an eagle weighing 1.85 kg, mounted on top of the blue regimental flagpole. They were made from six separately cast pieces designed along Roman lines and, when assembled, measured 310 mm in height and 255 mm in width. On the base would be the regiment's number or, in the case of the Guard, Garde Impériale. The Eagle bore the same significance to French Imperial regiments as the colours did to British regiments - to lose the Eagle would bring shame to the regiment, who had pledged to defend it to the death. Napoleon III, was Emperor of the French (1852-1870) when the Crimean War was fought and the French Imperial Eagle still outshone le coq which had to wait till later in the century to regain its place as the National Emblem. "While the Imperial eagle floats in lofty air and the bird of prey of Russia is obliged to hide its head, One thinks that an eagle is an eagle, whether it be in France or in Russia. This is, however, a *mistake, and an English journalist has taught us a lesson in ornithology. All depends on the company which he flies in :-if it goes a-hunting with the British lion, it is an Imperial eagle of lofty flight; but if it be hoovering alone, over a chronic " sick man," it is a vile bird of prey. It is a pity that the have also told us what sort of a bird the Austrian double-headed eagle is" It seems that the eagle on the medal only represents France.

Thanks for your interesting questions. The First Transcontinental Telegraph System Was Completed October 24, 1861 The Pony Express, established a year before the beginning of the American Civil War, reflected the need to provide fast and reliable communication with the West. In 1845, it took President James K. Polk six months to deliver a message to the Far West. Messages in those days had to travel around the tip of South America or across the isthmus of Panama. By 1860, the fastest route was the Butterfield Stage line from St. Louis, Missouri, through El Paso, Texas, which took 25 days. It was almost 600 miles (950 km) shorter to deliver the mail over a central or northern route. There were concerns, however, whether these alternatives were viable during the winter snows. September 8.1855 The French take the Malakoff. The English are repulsed from the Redan. In the night of this day the Russians evacuate the south side of Sebastopol after sinking their ships and blowing up all the defences of the place. 1855 September 10th England: Thanksgiving in all the churches of the Establishment for the fall of Sebastopol. News took a long time to cross the ocean as well. The transatlantic cable bridged the ocean between North America and Europe after 1855, it expedited communication between the two. Whereas it would normally take at least ten days to deliver a message by ship, it now took a matter of minutes by telegraph. A good story of racing to beat the news Remme's Great Ride A PRELIMINARY treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain was concluded at Versailles, January 23, 1783; the news reached Philadelphia March 23 By 1855 it was estimated some 10,000 French people resided in San Francisco, including French Canadians. Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany requested Father Blaive come to San Francisco and minister to the Citys growing French community. Father Blaives opportunity to build a French church in the City arrived that same year, following the French military victory, defeating the Russians, in the Crimean War at Sebastopol. A great victory celebration took place on Nov. 26, 1855, only 2 and a half months later. in South Park (between Second and Third Streets) where Father Blaive gave a rousing speech, pledging to build a church in honor of Notre Dame des Victoires. This medal might have been part of the fund-raising for the church. Obviously it took awhile to organize the party as well. An Italian connection: Ghirardelli the chocolate maker, was a visibly successful Italian in San Francisco, but not the only one. Nicola Larco, (26) also a founding partner of Buenaventura, was another. The two men became San Francisco's pro-forma Italian VIPs, serving in 1855 as delegates to a local celebration of a Crimean War victory that their compatriots in Piedmont-Sardinia helped win against Russia with the armies of France, England and Turkey.

1855 26th November. San Francisco was celebrating, in South Park, the defeat of the Russians at Sebastopol in the Crimean War. The French eagle savages the Russian double-headed eagle. . The British lion tramples the Russian flag (a pair of feet protude from under it). MANIFESTATION EN L'HONNEUR DES SUCCES DES ALLIES EN CRIMEE. MANIFESTATION IN HONOR OF THE SUCCESS OF THE ALLIES IN THE CRIMEA. EXERGUE; SAN FRANCISCO/26 NOVEMBER/1855 By V & G 33mm W.M I know that technically I am in the wrong forum as you are coin people. But I thought you might be interested to see this medal because of the Russian San Fran connection. Appears to be very rare, this actual medal has been shown in the Russian Numismatic Society Journal and Newsletter. Any comments welcomed

An easy way to reduce the size is to email the picture to yourself, selecting the quality to suit your needs. Or join Photobucket (it is free) and have really large pics.

Wonderful..............! How are things in London? I was born in Enfield Middx. As to the Thistle, I have a giant one in my garden and I can vouch for the truth in both mottoes. I think I prefer the English Rose, even with its thorns, to my mind far prettier. I should add for, my own safety, I love all things Scottish.

Many thanks for the info especially about the booklet by Alpert, but I did make clear it was struck in 1948 for an event to celebrate the 1898 expansion: "1948 New York City Golden Anniversary Medal for the expansion of New York in 1898". Obviously it could not have been struck in 1898 for an event that took place 50 years later.

Fantastic design. Nice collection.

1898 to 1948 New York City Golden Anniversary Medal for the expansion of New York in 1898. 77mm bronze. 2 small cracks. Is this a common medal? Could not find the medal on the web. Found some info on the celebrations: The New York City Golden Jubilee, held in 1948, was a multi-tiered, months-long commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the consolidation of the five boroughs of Greater New York (that was a controversial measure that expanded New York City from some 60 sq. miles to over 300 sq. miles in 1898). Its focal point was an exposition held at the Grand Central Palace, a pre-Coliseum trade show hall near Grand Central Station. The exposition mostly featured displays by various municipal agencies. Its biggest draw, however, was an exhibit entitled “Man and the Atom” which raved about the supposed cure-all that was atomic energy. The celebration also featured a parade down Fifth Avenue in June and an international air show in July.

Thanks for all the info Elverno. I am very pleased that it is by Pingo.

Thanks, that was super quick! On my medal it just looks like a bowl!