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France, 1901. France. Alberto Santos-Dumont, Winner of the Deutsch de la Meurthe Prize, bronze medal by S. Kinsburger for M. Massonnet, bust left, reverse POR MARES NUNCA D’ANTES NAVEGADOS, dirigible Santos-Dumont No.6 being flown by its creator around the Eiffel Tower, 50mm (Malpas –; BDM III, 161). Extremely fine and nicely patinated with an excellent representation of an early dirigible, very rare (£80-100)

Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932), pioneer aviator. The medal commemorates his winning of the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize of 100,000 gold francs, put up by the Aero-Club de France in 1900, for the first successful circumnavigation of the Eiffel Tower in a powered dirigible. Santos-Dumont flew his own hydrogen-filled airship, Santos-Dumont No.6, from St Cloud around the Eiffel Tower and back on 19 October 1901; the trip took 30 minutes