Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 14 14 Jan 2018
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British Medals, William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765), the Battle of Culloden; the Cumberland Society's oval gold medal, 1746, by Richard Yeo, CUMBERLAND, bust of the Duke r., signed YEO. F, rev. ACTUM EST ILICET PERIIT, the Duke as a laureate, naked Apollo, leans on his bow and points to the dragon wounded by his arrow, in ex., PRŒL COLOD AP XVI / MDCCXLVI, 54.5 x 38mm., wt. 42.23gms. (MI.615/283; MI.pl. CLXVIII; Woolf 55; Eimer 608 – this piece illustrated; CP.82/1; BBM [1988], 24; Tancred p. 42, illus.), within ornamental scrolled border with integral suspension loop, a few hairline marks, extremely fine, extremely rare
Medallic Illustrations Plates states 'Of the specimens in gold only four or five examples are known.'
The Cumberland Society was formed on the day after Culloden by senior officers who had been present at the battle. The original membership of twenty-seven bore a correlation to the Duke's age of 26, and one further member was to be elected each year; thus there were fifty-four members by the time the last member, Captain Ross, was elected in 1766 (the year following the Duke's death), so it is probably safe to surmise that fewer than 60 medals were ever struck. George II is believed to have authorised the wearing of the medal, which was suspended around the neck from a crimson ribbon with green edges – the earliest recorded precise definition of a medal ribbon. The Society met annually on 15th April (the Duke's birthday and the eve of the anniversary of Culloden), and members were required to wear their medals. The medals were also required to be worn in battle, with the Society vouching to meet the cost of a replacement in the event of loss under fire. According to the Society's Minute Book this happened once, when Major William Sparkes lost his medal at the Battle of Monongahela (Braddock's Defeat - near the site of modern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in 1758. Sparkes fought alongside George Washington who served as aide-de-camp to Braddock.
In recent years two similar medals have been sold, at Christie's, South Kensington, 23 November 2011 (lot 193 - £20,000) and Morton & Eden, Dr. Arthur Barfort King (lot 12 - £3,200) Collection, 3 October, 2003 (this purchased Spink, December 1969).
It is interesting to note that in the Montagu Sale, Sotheby, 25 May, 1897 (lot 749), an example of the gold medal sold for a record price of £225. It was purchased by Murdoch and sold in his sale, Sotheby, 6 June, 1904 (lot 535) for the increased price of £238. It is fascinating and may be relevant that, in the Murdoch collection, a Charles I triple unite (lot 3), sold for £15; a Henry VII sovereign (lot 409) sold for £33-10-0; and a Mary ryal (lot 540) for £50-10-0. Today these pieces might be expected to fetch in the region of £175,000, £185,000 and £225,000 respectively. The figure of £238 for the Culloden medal may well have bought a decent house in Mayfair at that time.
($55000-65000)
Medallic Illustrations Plates states 'Of the specimens in gold only four or five examples are known.'
The Cumberland Society was formed on the day after Culloden by senior officers who had been present at the battle. The original membership of twenty-seven bore a correlation to the Duke's age of 26, and one further member was to be elected each year; thus there were fifty-four members by the time the last member, Captain Ross, was elected in 1766 (the year following the Duke's death), so it is probably safe to surmise that fewer than 60 medals were ever struck. George II is believed to have authorised the wearing of the medal, which was suspended around the neck from a crimson ribbon with green edges – the earliest recorded precise definition of a medal ribbon. The Society met annually on 15th April (the Duke's birthday and the eve of the anniversary of Culloden), and members were required to wear their medals. The medals were also required to be worn in battle, with the Society vouching to meet the cost of a replacement in the event of loss under fire. According to the Society's Minute Book this happened once, when Major William Sparkes lost his medal at the Battle of Monongahela (Braddock's Defeat - near the site of modern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in 1758. Sparkes fought alongside George Washington who served as aide-de-camp to Braddock.
In recent years two similar medals have been sold, at Christie's, South Kensington, 23 November 2011 (lot 193 - £20,000) and Morton & Eden, Dr. Arthur Barfort King (lot 12 - £3,200) Collection, 3 October, 2003 (this purchased Spink, December 1969).
It is interesting to note that in the Montagu Sale, Sotheby, 25 May, 1897 (lot 749), an example of the gold medal sold for a record price of £225. It was purchased by Murdoch and sold in his sale, Sotheby, 6 June, 1904 (lot 535) for the increased price of £238. It is fascinating and may be relevant that, in the Murdoch collection, a Charles I triple unite (lot 3), sold for £15; a Henry VII sovereign (lot 409) sold for £33-10-0; and a Mary ryal (lot 540) for £50-10-0. Today these pieces might be expected to fetch in the region of £175,000, £185,000 and £225,000 respectively. The figure of £238 for the Culloden medal may well have bought a decent house in Mayfair at that time.
($55000-65000)