Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 8 20 Sep 2017
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Commemorative Medals, British Empire, Queen Victoria, Nyanza Medal for Natives, the Speke and Grant expedition to the source of the Nile, 1860-1863, specimen in copper, by J. S. & A. B. Wyon, for the Royal Geographical Society, 1863, diademed bust left (after William Wyon), rev. rising sun over panoramic view of the Nile, VICTORIA NYANZA SOURCE OF THE NILE, in ex. EXPLORED BY SPEKE & GRANT, 37mm (BHM.2792, R2; Eimer 1560), good extremely fine and very rare
Captain John Hanning Speke (1827-1864), who published his "Journal of the Discovery of the Nile" in 1863, was killed in a shooting accident in 1864, the day before he was to debate in public with the explorer Richard Burton as to whether indeed the source of the Nile had been discovered. He had received the Gold Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1861, "For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza"
(Burton had received it in 1859). Lt Col James Augustus Grant (1827-1892) received his Gold Founder's Medal in 1864 "For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke", and published "A Walk Across Africa" the same year. The medal was illustrated in The Illustrated London News, 3 April 1869, with the caption "Victoria Nyanza Medal for Natives who aided Captains Speke and Grant".
The W. V. R Baldwin Collection of the Medals of Southern Africa (450-600 GBP)
Captain John Hanning Speke (1827-1864), who published his "Journal of the Discovery of the Nile" in 1863, was killed in a shooting accident in 1864, the day before he was to debate in public with the explorer Richard Burton as to whether indeed the source of the Nile had been discovered. He had received the Gold Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1861, "For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza"
(Burton had received it in 1859). Lt Col James Augustus Grant (1827-1892) received his Gold Founder's Medal in 1864 "For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke", and published "A Walk Across Africa" the same year. The medal was illustrated in The Illustrated London News, 3 April 1869, with the caption "Victoria Nyanza Medal for Natives who aided Captains Speke and Grant".
The W. V. R Baldwin Collection of the Medals of Southern Africa (450-600 GBP)