A Unique Equestrian medal
RBEGAHJB
Posts: 11 ✭✭✭
This was a really fun project I did a couple of years ago. You may have seen the complete article in the Central States journal a couple of years ago. Below is my write up when it sold:
Important Award Medal from Spaulding & Co.
76 MM, 132.2 Grams, Sterling Silver (XREF Confirmed)
The Chicago Horse Show of 1897 was a rather scandalous affair in late Victorian era society. Planned with only about six weeks’ notice it became quite the spectacle. The show was held in the relatively newly opened Chicago Coliseum which was an engineering marvel of its day and had the year prior been the site of the Democratic National Convention. According to the December 1897 edition of Harpers Weekly the show itself was massive with thousands of entrants.
“The exhibits, numbering 1300 in all, divided into 267 classes, have never been surpassed, as a whole, in this country, and only by judging several classes at the same time was each day’s programme completed.”
While the show was a success the dark clouds of controversy soon blew in. Royal Standard owned by the Graham brothers of Ontario Canada, was crowned Grand Champion of the show to much fanfare but an article appearing just a few days later in local Chicago newspaper tells a story of trickery. Apparently Royal Standard wasn’t exactly purebred and as such was stripped of several awards and a new champion was proclaimed. Indre, the stallion owned by famed horse Breeder Mark W. Dunham was instead awarded the coveted title of Grand Champion. Mr. Dunham was one of, if not the largest horse breeders and importers in North America and he made his home in the Chicago suburbs on his very large horse farm. Dunham Castle has long been a favorite secret spot for locals, the large mansion was built in 1883 and has seen many ups and downs in preservation but is currently undergoing extensive renovation to its former glory.
Produced by the “Tiffanys of the West” Spaulding and Company was founded by Henry Abaram Spaulding a prominent and well-travelled jeweller in November 1888 in Chicago. Spaulding & Co. were well known for watch cases, jewellery and engraving work on the same levels as Tiffany and Co. We believe this medal to be unique or nearly unique as no other examples have ever come to light. The large sterling silver medal is unsigned by the artists and carries only the name “Spaulding and Co. Chicago”. The obverse features a prancing stallion in gorgeous high relief with the legend “Chicago Horse Show 1897”. The reverse sports the legend “The Illinois State Board of Agriculture” which was the governing body for awards. The award medal is handsomely engraved to M.W. Dunham. It is important to note that after an extensive search we can find no other medals of this size produced by Spaulding and Co. While the firm did receive contracts to produce “Bryan Money” these tokens were generally no large than a silver dollar and the level of artistic merit was nowhere near the present example.
Russ Bega
COO
Harlan J Berk Ltd.
Comments
How great it is to see posts about such interesting items as this and not about some microscopic variety or error!
Thank you kindly! I'm trying to post more interesting things that have come through my store over the past few years.
Russ Bega
COO
Harlan J Berk Ltd.
thats a cool looking medal