Queen Victoria medal

TPring

Picked up this a few years ago -- Just because it looked interesting. The queen on one side and the prince and princess on the other side surrounded by relatives [I believe] . Sorry pics are marginal.

johnny9434

Cool, I remember seeing one like it years ago. It was nice to see

Exbrit

Interesting piece

Swampboy

Of course an empress gets pride of place on that piece
I love this medal for its history
Awesome

One of my favorite volumes is 'Letters of the Empress Frederick' and I'd almost bet each and everyone of the royals on that medal gets a mention in a letter from Princess then Empress Victoria to or from her mother the Queen.

Sapyx

@TPring said:
...The queen on one side and the prince and princess on the other side surrounded by relatives [I believe]...

Queen Victoria had nine children, all of whom survived into adulthood and married into various noble houses. Surrounding the Queen Victoria are four of her children, and their spouses: Victoria junior (here named Empress Frederick), Alfred, Alice and Beatrice.

On the other side, we have in the centre Prince Albert of Wales (the future king Edward VII), who is of course Victoria's eldest male child and thus her heir, who is surrounded by the remaining four of Victoria's children and their spouses: Louise, Helena, Arthur (Duke of Connaught) and Leopold (Duke of Albany). The tenth personage-with-spouse is at the top, the Duke of York, who is the son of the Prince of Wales, Victoria's grandson and the future king George V.

The medal is undated but there are some hints as to it's date: It cannot be a "happy families" snapshot as they weren't all alive and married at any one time. Princess Alice was only married to Prince Louis of Hesse for one year before she died in 1878, the first of Victoria's children to pass away, yet Leopold didn't marry until 1882.

The Duke of York (the future George V) did not marry Mary of Teck until 1893. Prior to 1891, the future heir-apparent was Prince Albert Victor, who had also been previously engaged to Mary, but Albert Victor died in the Russian Flu pandemic in 1891. A pre-1891 version of this medal almost certainly would have had Albert Victor, rather than the future George V, in pride of place at the top of the reverse. So, this medal (or at least this version of it with George V and Mary) must date from after 1893. It must also date from before 1901, when the "Prince of Wales" became King Edward VII.

A likely date of issue is therefore 1897, the Queen's diamond jubilee year (60 years on the throne), a year which saw an abundant issue of commemorative medals celebrating her from across the British Empire.

angelo43

Sapyx That was wonderful detecting on the date!

ADG

Has the "old head" design of Victoria on it, so would have to be 1893+. An interesting piece. Lots of medals made for Victoria's 50th and 60th anniversaries as Queen.