James Mudie National Series of Historic British Medals

Exbrit

Is anyone collecting the James Mudie National Series of Historic British Medals which were produced in the early 1800s? Do you have any idea of the mintages for the forty or so medals?

Mudie’s book describes the medal and history related to it, but does not mention a mintage for the medals.

Mudie had some of the best engravers of the time working on the series that highlights the British victories over the French during the Napoleonic war.

pruebas

This series reminds me of the more modern Franklin Mint historical sets.

For example (shameless plug for my post in US BST): FSHO: Franklin Mint History of Mankind - Complete Set - Gilt Silver

harasha

I do not collect them, but circumstantially, I do have an example.

Sapyx

I don't have any examples of the medals, but I did write an article about him and his medals in my coin club's magazine some years ago.

I found the story of the man himself somewhat sad and confused. His medals, while very popular with collectors today, were not the financial success he'd hoped for. He and his bookstore went bankrupt making them, losing £10,000 over the deal - a small fortune back in the early 1800s. Apparently, a whole bunch of people ordered medals, then refused to pay for them. Destitute, he made his way to the Australian colonies, where he rose to the rank of magistrate but made many enemies for himself, due mainly to his poor treatment of convicts, seeing them as lower than slaves. After a convict mutiny was not resolved to his satisfaction, he went back to England, wrote a book trash-talking Australia and everybody there, then, puzzlingly, went back to Australia - where everybody unsurprisingly now hated him.

Exbrit

@Sapyx said:
I don't have any examples of the medals, but I did write an article about him and his medals in my coin club's magazine some years ago.

I found the story of the man himself somewhat sad and confused. His medals, while very popular with collectors today, were not the financial success he'd hoped for. He and his bookstore went bankrupt making them, losing £10,000 over the deal - a small fortune back in the early 1800s. Apparently, a whole bunch of people ordered medals, then refused to pay for them. Destitute, he made his way to the Australian colonies, where he rose to the rank of magistrate but made many enemies for himself, due mainly to his poor treatment of convicts, seeing them as lower than slaves. After a convict mutiny was not resolved to his satisfaction, he went back to England, wrote a book trash-talking Australia and everybody there, then, puzzlingly, went back to Australia - where everybody unsurprisingly now hated him.

I actually have your article and enjoyed it. Mudie was a character. Are you a member of the ANS?

Sapyx

Yes, and the QNS.