Featured King George IV - Death Medallion

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by paddyman98, Dec 14, 2019.

  1. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    I wanted to share this medallion I once picked up at a flea market I frequently visit. I like to search for exunomia.
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    This is a similar medallion with the engravers name found underneath the bust - Kettle
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    England. Death of King George IV Brass Medalet

    Title: England. Death of King George IV Brass Medalet

    Attribution: BHM 1379; Mitchiner 6290-1; Fauver 1830-17b

    Date: 1830

    Obverse: Dies by Kettle. GEORGE IV KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, bare head left, KETTLE in small letters below

    Reverse: BELOVED & LAMENTED around, BORN 1762 DIED LAMENTED JUNE 26 1830 within laurel wreath

    Size: 25 mm

    Weight: 5.32 grams

    220px-George_IV_1821_color.jpg
    King George the fourth -
    George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and king of Hanover following the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as regent during his father's final mental illness.

    George IV was the eldest child of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the Regency era. He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace, and Sir Jeffry Wyatville to rebuild Windsor Castle. George's charm and culture earned him the title "the first gentleman of England", but his dissolute way of life and poor relationships with his parents and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, earned him the contempt of the people and dimmed the prestige of the monarchy. He excluded Caroline from the coronation and asked the government to introduce the unpopular Pains and Penalties Bill in an unsuccessful attempt to divorce her.

    George's ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible. At all times he was much under the influence of favourites. He did not provide national leadership in time of crisis, nor act as a role model for his people. Taxpayers were angry at his wasteful spending during the Napoleonic Wars. For most of his regency and reign, Lord Liverpoolcontrolled the government as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Liverpool's government presided over Britain's ultimate victory, negotiated the peace settlement, and attempted to deal with the social and economic malaise that followed. After Liverpool's retirement, George was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. His only legitimate child, Princess Charlotte, died before him in 1817 and so he was succeeded by his younger brother, William.
    George's last years were marked by increasing physical and mental decay and withdrawal from public affairs. Privately a senior aide to the King confided to his diary: "A more contemptible, cowardly, selfish, unfeeling dog does not exist ... There have been good and wise kings but not many of them ... and this I believe to be one of the worst." On his death The Times captured elite opinion succinctly: "There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this deceased king. What eye has wept for him? What heart has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow? ... If he ever had a friend – a devoted friend in any rank of life – we protest that the name of him or her never reached us."
    George was described as the "First Gentleman of England" on account of his style and manners.
    He was bright, clever, and knowledgeable, but his laziness and gluttony led him to squander much of his talent. The Times wrote, he would always prefer "a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon".

    The Regency period saw a shift in fashion that was largely determined by George. After political opponents put a tax on wig powder, he abandoned wearing a powdered wig in favour of natural hair. He wore darker colours than had been previously fashionable as they helped to disguise his size, favoured pantaloons and trousers over knee breeches because they were looser, and popularised a high collar with neck cloth because it hid his double chin. His visit to Scotland in 1822 led to the revival, if not the creation, of Scottish tartan dress as it is known today.

    During the political crisis caused by Catholic emancipation, the Duke of Wellington said that George was "the worst man he ever fell in with his whole life, the most selfish, the most false, the most ill-natured, the most entirely without one redeeming quality", but his eulogy delivered in the House of Lords called George "the most accomplished man of his age" and praised his knowledge and talent. Wellington's true feelings probably lie somewhere between these two extremes; as he said later, George was "a magnificent patron of the arts ... the most extraordinary compound of talent, wit, buffoonery, obstinacy, and good feeling—in short a medley of the most opposite qualities, with a great preponderance of good—that I ever saw in any character in my life."
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  3. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Oh.. And by the way.. This is my 29,000th like celebration thread!
    Thanks to @Islander80-83 for that like :woot:
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  4. CoinBlazer

    CoinBlazer Numismatic Enthusiast

    Neat! Was this a legal production or private minting?
     
    paddyman98 likes this.
  5. Islander80-83

    Islander80-83 Well-Known Member

    You mean I did something right? :hilarious: Congrats! Glad to help. ;)

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  6. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Great question. I this is where I admit that I don't know. So I want to ask my fellow CT members if they have any more information on my medallion. I know the value which I have seen is between $38.00 and $60.00 in VG condition.
     
  7. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    MGeorge IV Era bronze Trial of Queen Caroline Medal 1820.jpg
    MGeorge IV Era bronze Trial of Queen Caroline Medal 1820r.jpg

    Above is one of my favorite medals. This huge medal (D. 82 mm) was struck in support of Queen Caroline, the aggrieved wife of George IV, during the Pains and Penalties Bill of 1820.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pains_and_Penalties_Bill_1820

    The intent of this bill debated in Parliament was whether to dissolve the loveless marriage of George IV and Caroline, depriving Caroline of both her title and royal privileges. It became a public and closely-followed divorce trial. This couple's alleged infidelities became one of the century's greatest scandals. Caroline, however, gained the support and sympathy of much the population.

    Trial_of_Queen_Caroline_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg



    One of my favorite anecdotes in British history:

    After the trial on a May morning in 1821, George IV was busy in his office when an adviser rushed in breathlessly. He respectfully announced, “I have the honor to inform your Majesty that your worst enemy is dead.”

    The king quickly rose and folded his hands in thanks. With his eyes joyfully looking upwards, he asked,

    “My wife?”

    “No, your Majesty. Emperor Napoleon.”


    g.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2019
    lordmarcovan and paddyman98 like this.
  8. TrademarkRob

    TrademarkRob New Member

    So, I have a Queen Charlotte Death Medallion. I see that the Museum in Wales has one...and the British Museum has a slightly different variant. Other than that, there is little about this one. Lord Marcovan has one with a hole punched for suspension. Does anyone know what these are worth or anything about their history?

    it looks like this one - https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces171545.html

    Please let me know if you know anything about it! Thanks.
     
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  9. Chris B

    Chris B Supporter! Supporter


    The only sale I found on AC Search was this one:

    https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=6882438

    It was part of a lot so it doesn't really give you a value. The lot sold for $160.
     
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  10. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    VG? Why would a non-circulation medal ever get that worn?
     
    DonnaML likes this.
  11. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Except for official coronation medals and some jubilee medals, etc. produced by the Royal Mint, almost all British historical/commemorative medals were issued by private companies.
     
    paddyman98 and CoinBlazer like this.
  12. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    In many places, a real hodgepodge of stuff circulated, when there were shortages of small-denomination coins.

    Medals also got worn by being worn (literally worn- as personal ornaments- if they had holes or mounts on them). Or they got carried as pocket pieces, or used as gaming counters or mathematical counters.

    Really, there are any number of scenarios to explain why so many old tokens and medals got well worn, just as though they were circulating coins. Even when they weren't necessarily circulating as money.

    I've often pondered this myself. How'd they get this way? But the fact is, a lot of them did.
     
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