Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 29 19 Mar 2019
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Commemorative Medals, African Exploration: French expedition to the source of the Niger, silver medal of the Société de Geographie de Marseille, 1879, unsigned, sun and crescent moon and star shine above African landscape with the hills of Tembi Counou, Arabic legend, rev. EXPÉDITION FRANÇAISE AUX SOURCES DU NIGER – C. A. VERMINCK, in centre, above and below date 1879 on tablet, the names J. ZWEIFEL – M. MOUSTIER, 36.5mm., ball and ring suspender, extremely fine and exceedingly rare
Charles Auguste Verminck (d. 1911), a Belgian by birth, had traded with West Africa since the 1840s, mostly in palm oil, and founded the Éstablissement Verminck in 1855. Josua Zweifel (b. 1854) was Swiss and Marius Moustier was Comptroller of the Boké factory on the river Nunez in Guinea. Verminck, Zweifel and Moustier were to receive the medal in gold and a further 75 medals were struck for members of the expedition, though it is believed the majority of these were in bronze.
The principal source of the Niger was found in the hills of Tembi Counou.
(400-600 GBP)
Charles Auguste Verminck (d. 1911), a Belgian by birth, had traded with West Africa since the 1840s, mostly in palm oil, and founded the Éstablissement Verminck in 1855. Josua Zweifel (b. 1854) was Swiss and Marius Moustier was Comptroller of the Boké factory on the river Nunez in Guinea. Verminck, Zweifel and Moustier were to receive the medal in gold and a further 75 medals were struck for members of the expedition, though it is believed the majority of these were in bronze.
The principal source of the Niger was found in the hills of Tembi Counou.
(400-600 GBP)