Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 43 25 Mar 2020
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The Pavilion Collection, Commemorative Medals, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Death, 1817, the original steel dies for the medal by Thomas Webb and George Mills, as in the previous lot; the obverse – her portrait, height 59.5mm., base 85mm., edge stamped with three indistinct marks; the reverse, Britannia weeps, height 56mm., base 86mm., the edge stamped PICKARD – BIRMM – RUN; sold with an example of the medal in copper, very fine (D. Fearon, Catalogue of British Commemorative Medals 1558 to the present day, Exeter, 1984, p. 9, illus.), beyond salvaging as working dies but as souvenirs, very fine and unique (3)
The dies were discovered in the mid-1960s being used as paperweights in the post room of Sotheby's auction house. James Pickard was a Birmingham manufacturer and a contemporary of James Watt. Pickard's engine (designed and built by a Bristol engineer called Matthew Wasborough in 1779), was housed in his manufactory, situated on the site of the present Snow Hill railway station. His son Thomas ran an ironmongery warehouse. But quite how either one of the Pickards became involved in the manufacture of these dies is not at all clear.
These dies are remarkably heavy and not suitable for postage.
(150-200 GBP)
The dies were discovered in the mid-1960s being used as paperweights in the post room of Sotheby's auction house. James Pickard was a Birmingham manufacturer and a contemporary of James Watt. Pickard's engine (designed and built by a Bristol engineer called Matthew Wasborough in 1779), was housed in his manufactory, situated on the site of the present Snow Hill railway station. His son Thomas ran an ironmongery warehouse. But quite how either one of the Pickards became involved in the manufacture of these dies is not at all clear.
These dies are remarkably heavy and not suitable for postage.
(150-200 GBP)