Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 4594762, member: 110350&quot;]Oh, well, if we&#039;re posting non-ancient holey coins, here are a couple of mine, both from the remnants of my old collection of British coins and medals, and both falling into the often-holed category of Victorian white metal souvenir medals.&nbsp; White metal is a base metal alloy of tin, zinc, and other ingredients; it became very popular in the Victorian era because white metal medals were (a) very shiny, and (b) very cheap.&nbsp; In fact, they&#039;re still very cheap; much less expensive than comparable medals in bronze, let alone silver. And it isn&#039;t hard to find examples that are still somewhat shiny after all these years -- without much, if anything, having been done to them -- if one tilts them at an angle. Although, as you can see from the first one, the high points tend to turn a dark gray over time; cleaning them really doesn&#039;t help.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m including the full description of the first medal so people can see how ridiculously elaborate these things became in that era.</p><p><br /></p><p>Queen Victoria 1838 White Metal Coronation Medal by J. Davis, Birmingham. Obv. Head of Queen Victoria left, garlanded with roses, thistles, and shamrocks, hair held in chignon. On a raised band around, VICTORIA D: G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F: D: / Rev. On a raised dais, the Queen is seated on a throne being crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. To the right she is proclaimed by the figures Britannia, Scotia and Hibernia. To the left she is attended by a blindfolded Justice and by Industry. A winged herald and cherub above, lion and cornucopia with other symbolic objects below. On a raised band around, H. M. G. MAJESTY VICTORIA above, BORN MAY 24TH 1819. ASCENDED THE BRITISH THRONE JUNE 20TH 1837 below. In exergue: CROWNED / JUNE 28TH 1838 (in an arc). Signed to the right: DAVIS, BIRM.&nbsp; BHM 1807 [Brown, Laurence, <i>British Historical Medals Vol. II, 1837-1901 </i>(Seaby 1987)]; Whittlestone &amp; Ewing 98A [Whittlestone, Andrew &amp; Michael Ewing, <i>Royal Commemorative Medals 1837-1977, Vol. I: The Reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1901</i> (2008)]. 65 mm., 80.1 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1137825[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1137826[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Viewed from directly above, you can see no shine at all:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1137827[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The second one (obverse only because I don&#039;t have a decent photo of the reverse) was issued -- along with hundreds of other medals -- in commemoration of Queen Victoria&#039;s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. By F. Bowcher, manufactured by Messrs. Spink &amp; Sons Ltd. BHM II 3529, Eimer 1820. White Metal, 38 mm., 17.2 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1137844[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I didn&#039;t sell these two medals when I sold most of the valuable British coins and medals I owned, because it wasn&#039;t worth the trouble -- I probably would have gotten $20-$30 for the two of them, if I were lucky.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in