Medals, medallions and badges..

[TomGoodheart 313]

I wasn't really sure where to post this. It's not really coin related, but we don't have a sub-forum that seemed appropriate either.

Anyway, I just bought myself an early Christmas present of this:

..and wondered if anyone knows much about them? As far as I can make out the references would be MI 360/231; Eimer 167, but further details would be of interest.

In particular, if anyone knows of any other easily available papers (apart from Helen Farquhar's 1905 BNJ article on Stuart portraiture) I'd like to know of it. The reason I ask is I'm interested in whether there appear to have been any conventions as to which similar medals are found gilded and which are not, as I thought I might gild this one.

And before anyone yells too loud, no it's not an original (my coin budget wouldn't stretch to that) but a modern copy in white metal so no sacrilege will be committed. It's just it ties in with both my interest in Charles I and religious medals/amulets/talismans...

.

Edited June 12, 2015 by TomGoodheart

[Paulus 1,878]

This is an original, but it is very worn as you can see. According to the dealer from whom I acquired it (Mark Ras), it was probably made (in silver) and sold by a street vendor at the time of the marriage (Charles II and Catherine of Braganza).

As such I doubt it will be found in any papers or journals!

[TomGoodheart 313]

This is an original, but it is very worn as you can see. According to the dealer from whom I acquired it (Mark Ras), it was probably made (in silver) and sold by a street vendor at the time of the marriage (Charles II and Catherine of Braganza).

As such I doubt it will be found in any papers or journals!

Looks to be a variant on MI 483/96 where Catherine wears her hair in the Portuguese style. Helen Farquhar (p 278 of her article) describes it as "so unpleasing and badly executed, that excepting for their historical interest, no one could wish to possess one," though personally I think it has a certain charm. And undoubtedly historical interest (since it must have been bought by a Royalist supporter and presumably worn by them) so a real link to the past!

Edited June 12, 2015 by TomGoodheart

[Paulus 1,878]

Just reading that fascinating article now, and as you say my item is very similar to the example pictured on page 278 - the specimen that is "perhaps the ugliest of all"! Gee thanks Miss Farquhar, but it's hard to disagree!

[Peter 613]

Interesting pieces gents.

We need more of this.

I buy a variety of items from flint arrow heads to clay pipes.

I've also amassed musket balls and fossils from deliveries of stone to various sites I've worked on.

[scott 127]

Would love one of those.

[TomGoodheart 313]

Would love one of those.

I presume you mean a genuine example Scott? Sadly they aren't cheap, even smaller ones like Paul's due to scarcity and demand. Whereas a copy like mine ... not so much!

.

[Peter 613]

I agree Scott

Bits of history are great.

I do a bit of field walking (with out the detector)

My Dog loves it as he circles me plus I work off the Sunday roast.

[Paulus 1,878]

For info, my Royalist marriage badge is 25mm at its widest by 20mm at the narrowest, weighs 2.8g and cost me £50. I don't know if that's the going rate for examples in this size and condition, but I consider it an absolute bargain!

[TomGoodheart 313]

For info, my Royalist marriage badge is 25mm at its widest by 20mm at the narrowest, weighs 2.8g and cost me £50. I don't know if that's the going rate for examples in this size and condition, but I consider it an absolute bargain!

LOL I'd have guessed you might have paid five times that Paul. Seems quite fair to me!

.

[bagerap 706]

I'm not the greediest bugger in the world, but I sold one 30-40% worse than Paul's for £150 last year and the buyer was ecstatic.

[seuk 85]

I'll guess I post it here instead of starting a new thread - small 19.9 mm silver medal commemorating the 1817 Waterloo Bridge opening with prince regent George (IV) on obverse.

[TomGoodheart 313]

It's been a while since I started this thread and most unfortunately I have found that collecting such things can be somewhat addictive! Even more sadly, I have taken a liking to the real thing rather than modern replicas, which has rather diverted me from the coin collecting side of things!

Anyway, for anyone that might be interested here's what I've picked up so far. I'm finding the historical medals (the round ones) pleasing, but not as interesting to me as the Royalist badges (oval) which were sold to supporters of Charles I during the late 1640s onwards. The fact that they were made so that people could show allegiance to the King, with later issues shrinking in size to enable them to be better concealed as it became riskier to admit to being a Royalist, gives them a personal dimension I don't sense with the commemorative issues. We know many continued to support Charles post mortem as the fashion for openly wearing such items resurfaced in the restoration years and continued for some time thereafter.

Although they were all photographed separately I've tried to keep the relative sizes as accurate as I can with the largest (top right and fourth row, left) at 42mm diameter and smallest (bottom row, centre) 22mm x 15mm (not including the suspension ring).


 

Edited December 20, 2022 by TomGoodheart

[Coinery 804]

These look superb, I love them! Amazing that the ‘porcelain’ bust remains intact.
Collections look great when they’re laid out like that!

[TomGoodheart 313]

1 hour ago, Coinery said:

These look superb, I love them! Amazing that the ‘porcelain’ bust remains intact.
Collections look great when they’re laid out like that!

Thanks! They certainly are an interesting sideline to compliment the shillings. The porcelain one is a bit of a mystery at present. It's probably not Wedgwood, though in the 'jasper ware' style and was part of a set of English monarchs based on the design of the large bronze one (top right). I've found a few in museum collections but none say who made them and the dating is imprecise, ranging from 'late 18th century' to 'circa 1835'. Fun piece though!

And yes, putting them together as a 'theme' does show them off a bit better I think.

[Gaz T 130]

Charles l silver medallion 1648. 
call to unanimity by Nicholas Briot. 

[Gaz T 130]

Sir John Stewart 

1st Earl of Traquair

by Nicholas Briot. 

[Gaz T 130]

[Gaz T 130]

On 12/20/2022 at 12:51 PM, TomGoodheart said:

It's been a while since I started this thread and most unfortunately I have found that collecting such things can be somewhat addictive! Even more sadly, I have taken a liking to the real thing rather than modern replicas, which has rather diverted me from the coin collecting side of things!

Anyway, for anyone that might be interested here's what I've picked up so far. I'm finding the historical medals (the round ones) pleasing, but not as interesting to me as the Royalist badges (oval) which were sold to supporters of Charles I during the late 1640s onwards. The fact that they were made so that people could show allegiance to the King, with later issues shrinking in size to enable them to be better concealed as it became riskier to admit to being a Royalist, gives them a personal dimension I don't sense with the commemorative issues. We know many continued to support Charles post mortem as the fashion for openly wearing such items resurfaced in the restoration years and continued for some time thereafter.

Although they were all photographed separately I've tried to keep the relative sizes as accurate as I can with the largest (top right and fourth row, left) at 42mm diameter and smallest (bottom row, centre) 22mm x 15mm (not including the suspension ring).


 

Amazing collection Tom 👍

[TomGoodheart 313]

30 minutes ago, Gaz T said:

Amazing collection Tom 👍

Thank you. You're off to a very good start yourself. Two very nice examples!

[Gaz T 130]

Thanks Tom I keep trying 👍

[TomGoodheart 313]

Just got this. Death (and memorial) of Charles I by Thomas Rawlins. MI 341/190, 29mm cast silver. The obverse shows Charles wearing ornate armour with a lion's head to the shoulder, the reverse a rock buffeted by winds storms and lightening, alluding to the fortitude of the king in the face of his 'troubles'. Dated 30 Jan 1648, the date of his execution. Some scratches to the obverse sadly, but they are less noticeable in the hand. Quite a nice piece with little wear and with pleasing old cabinet toning (though, so far I've not been able to trace any provenance).

[Sword 1,268]

What a majestic portrait of Charles I! The scratches don't distract much I thinks as they don't deface the portrait. I wonder if the reverse was inspired by this engraving.

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yxsc56ga

 

 

[TomGoodheart 313]

2 hours ago, Sword said:

What a majestic portrait of Charles I! The scratches don't distract much I thinks as they don't deface the portrait. I wonder if the reverse was inspired by this engraving.

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/yxsc56ga

 

 

Yes, Helen Farquhar who was deeply interested in these things suggested as much in her paper in the British Numismatic Journal, Sword!

The rock, beset by storms, was one of  three symbols used on memorial medals to illustrate this 'fortitude'. The others were a salamander, emerging unharmed from flames (CONSTANTIA CAESARIS) and a diamond which, though placed upon an anvil, resists damage from the blows of a hammer (INEXPVGNABILIS).

Medals as propaganda, I guess.

 

[blakeyboy 1,491]

...the amount of diamonds destroyed by hitting them with a hammer,  whilst 'proving' they weren't diamonds....the only thing that I think is amazing about diamonds is that they conduct heat five times as well as copper....