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Gauss Medallion

GrenadaGrenada Posts: 3
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
Hello -

I have a silver medallion struck in honor of my great great grandfather, Carl Friedrich Gauss, the German Mathematician.

The head side is inscribed with this -
Carolvs fridericvs gavss nat mdcclxxvii aprxxx ob mdccclv feb xxiii
(Carl Friedrich Gauss) (Born 30 April 1777) (Died 23 February 1855)

The tail side is incribed with this and it is bordered by some delicate leaves -
Academiae svae georgiae avgvstae decori aeterno
Georgivs V
Rex hannoverae mathematicorvm principi

Do you know more about this coin and the circumstances of its creation. perhaps how many were struck, etc.? I can't attach a picture here due to apparent size restrictions but there is a picture if it on this site - http://www.fotosearch.com/IST503/1158210/

This coin has been handed down over the generations but I don't have any details of its creation. If you do, please let me know.
Thanks for any insight.

Comments

  • WillieBoyd2WillieBoyd2 Posts: 5,268 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The medal sounds interesting.

    Please post a picture of the medal.

    image
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  • 3Mark3Mark Posts: 593 ✭✭✭
    Link

    3Mark
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  • ormandhormandh Posts: 3,111 ✭✭✭
    I would also like to see it!

    image

    -Dan
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  • harashaharasha Posts: 3,113 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This medal is very familiar from somewhere. Maybe because of the artist? I may have bid on one in the past, but a quick review of my database suggests I did not win it.
    Honors flysis Income beezis Onches nobis Inob keesis

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  • coinnuttiuscoinnuttius Posts: 547
    The most important piece of info is the one you do not provide: name of the engraver (probably under the neck on the obverse). Then it might be as simple as punching <name> graveur or <name> medailleur into Google(.de) (or look it up at http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kategorie:Medailleur) etc etc.
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  • spoonspoon Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭
    Just doing a search of the first line ("Carolvs fridericvs gavss nat mdcclxxvii aprxxx ob mdccclv feb xxiii") got me this from Google books

    Issued by the Royal Academy of Sciences Göttingen. That book was published 1856, so that would place it just after his death.

    Found elsewhere, the engraver is "Brehmer". I'm seeing a couple Brehmer's in a superficial search, but you might be able to pin that down further.

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  • GrenadaGrenada Posts: 3
    Helo Again and Thanks for the postings.
    Following your advice I did learn that Brehmer was indeed the one who struck the silver and bronze copies and gave them to the Royal Academy of Sciences. However, I am not certain who Joseph Larmor is or how he relates, if at all, see below -

    http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/library/special_collections/artefacts/medals/
    Gauss, Carl Friedrich (1777-1855) Silver medal by Brehmer, 7cm. Obv. Bust of Gauss, r. Leg. CAROLVS FRIDERICVS GAVSS NAT. MDCCLXXVII APR. XXX OB. MDCCCLV FEB. XXIII. Rev. Wreath enclosing inscription GEORGIVS V | REX HANNOVERAE | MATHEMATICORVM PRINCIPI. Leg. ACADEMIAE SVAE GEORGIAE AVGVSTAE DECORI AETERNO.
    From the effects of Sir Joseph Larmor (1857-1942). Also a bronze copy.

    There is also this as seen on the site - http://library.thinkquest.org/22584/temh3001.htm
    Gauss died in his home at the Gottingen Observatory on February 23, 1855, and right after, the King of Hanover ordered that a commemorative medal be prepared in honor of Gauss. This seventy-millimeter medal was in time(1877) completed by the well-known sculptor and medalist, Friedrich Brehmer, of Hanover. On it appears the inscription:

    Georgius V. rex Hannoverge

    Mathematicorum principi

    (George V. King of Hanover

    to the Prince of mathematicians)

    As a previous post suggests however there is reference in my research that the task of striking these medallions was indeed performed just after his death in 1855, being struck later that year or early 1856.

    To further add to the mystery - http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=MEC2666
    This site sells Prints of it, like posters. Not sure how they took the picture of the medallion, at the National Maritime Museum in London.

    So, it seems like the more answers I get the more questions I have. All I know for sure is that Brehmer made it within a year of Carl's death - or possibly 1877 - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Friedrich_Brehmer
    I still don't know how many of them there are out there.

    Thought you would like to know and if you have anything else please do not hesitate to let me know as well.

    Thanks very much.


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