A Group of Pattern and Specimen Waterloo Medals

Waterloo 1815, proposed ‘Officers’ issue’ pattern in silver by Wyon, 41mm, obv. draped and laureate bust of the Prince Regent left, after Sir Thomas Lawrence’s portrait, rev. with minor differences but otherwise as for the adopted design, edge plain, attractively toned, almost proof-like, extremely fine and excessively rare £1500-2000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Group of Pattern and Specimen Waterloo Medals.

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Provenance: Baldwin’s Auction No 29, November 2001.

Tancred notes in his Historical Record, 1891, ‘At the same time as the Copper Medal [above] was struck, a large silver one was coined, presumably for the officers. This medal was never issued, as it was found to be too large and heavy to be worn as a decoration. Sainthill refers to it in Olla Podrida, Vol. I. p. 31, “A large Medal on the same subject, I believe unpublished. It has a fine martial head of the Prince Regent in similar costume to Rundell & Co.’s Jubilee. The Victory is also a great improvement on the preceding. This Medal, I understand, was considered as being too large to be worn, but it is much to be wished it had been, or might yet be, struck and given or sold to the public in record of the national triumph at Waterloo.”’