Boulton Soho Medals to Honor Lord Nelson 1806

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Day 1- Fine Art, Rare Books, Silver & Pottery...

By Sarasota Estate Auction

Aug 5, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-08-05 11:00:00 2023-08-05 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Day 1- Fine Art, Rare Books, Silver & Pottery https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/sarasota-estate/day-1--fine-art-rare-books-silver-pottery-13292
Featuring a Lifetime Collection of Early American Pottery, a Fantastic Georg Jensen Sterling Tea Set - 23 OZT, Important Books and Ephemera, and Exquisite Estate Jewelry. Also including art from artists including Roy Lichtenstein, Camille Pissarro, Karel Appel, Victor Vasarely, and many more. Sarasota Estate Auction sarasotaestateauction@gmail.com

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• Lot Description
  Boulton Soho Medals to Honor Lord Nelson 1806. These are three medals struck to honor the memory of Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. One was struck at the Soho mint in 1806 by the industrialist Matthew Boulton because he owned the mint and privately was outraged that King George III had not honored the bravery of the British sailors at Trafalgar with some sort of reward, so Boulton had the medals struck at his own expense. There were 15,000 examples of this famous medal produced at Soho, and a fitting tribute to Nelson and his men. The first medals were produced in a white metal, silver medals were awarded later on - the silver ones could be ordered from Boulton and would go to officers under Nelson’s command. They were also struck in gold, gilt-bronze or bronze and measured 48 mm in diameter, which is the diameter of the Boulton medal here. The medal was initially awarded without a ribbon or suspension, but unofficially used a 32 mm. navy blue ribbon; the blue ribbon here measures 60 mm long. We don’t know where the other two medals were produced, but according to Wikipedia, the Soho Mint was created by Boulton in 1788 at his Manufactory in Handsworth, West Midlands, England; Handsworth is a suburb of Birmingham. The mint contained eight machines which were driven by steam engine, each machine capable of striking 70 to 85 coins per minute. In addition to domestic copper coins, silver coins were made at the mint for some of the colonies, and various trade tokens and medals were struck. Among the medals produced were the Seringapatam medal made for the East India Company in 1801 to reward participants of the Battle of Seringapatam, and the medal for the Battle of Trafalgar, which Boulton produced and gave to all those present at the 1805 battle. (See Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin: British Battles and Medals, pages 24 & 27, published by Spink in London, 1988.). Three attempts were made to come up with a satisfactory portrait for the medal, but the first two were rejected: one was by William Beechey, who had done a portrait of Lord Nelson in 1801; a second die from a miniature lent by Lady Hamilton was also rejected, and finally Lady Hamilton provided a wax bust of Lord Nelson, which was accepted and executed by the engraver, C.H. Kuchler. The paper inscription on the reverse of the backing reads “To the Heroes of Trafalgar from M. Boulton, Boulton’s Trafalgar Medals, Matthew Boulton of the Soho Mint, Birmingham, Struck These Medals on his Own Initiative for Presentation to the Survivors of the Battle of Trafalgar 1805” and a hand-written note near the top of the inscription reads “These were actually struck in 1806 at the Soho Mint. AFFII”. The first medals were made of white metal for the survivors of Trafalgar - sailors and marines - but apparently the crew felt slighted when they found out that the medals weren’t made of silver and couldn’t be popped - pawned - for even 5 shillings - they wanted to use the money to buy tobacco - so the vast majority of medals were thrown overboard, and we believe the Boulton medal here is one of the silver medals awarded to an officer later on. The medal was restruck on at least two occasions, with one on exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich; the obverse (the front) shows the bust of Admiral Nelson facing left, in uniform, with a pigtail and legend that reads “Horatio Viscount Nelson, K.B., Duke Of Bronte. &”, and the reverse shows a general view of the battle, with a legend that reads “England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty”, and the inscription “Trafalgar Oct. 21, 1805” below the battle scene. The medal in low relief with the blue and white ribbon has a 1 3/4 in. diameter and the medal in high relief - the Boulton medal - with the all-blue ribbon is a little wider, at 1 13/16 in. in diameter (48 mm); the medal in low relief is encased in glass, while the obverse of the Boulton medal is protected by plastic, with nothing on the reverse side. The large copper-colored medallion measures 4 in. in diameter and has a patterned cloth or piece of felt on the backside, and the black velveteen-covered backing measures 10 1/4 x 6 1/2 in. wide. A rare historical set of medals made by a private citizen to honor Lord Nelson and his fleet at the battle of Trafalgar. Largest medal: 4 x 4 in.
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