Watch List notes:

The Pavilion Collection, Commemorative Medals, George IV, The Society of Charity Schools, gilt-silver medal, 1820, unsigned, laureate bust l., legend around and date below, GEORGIUS IIII DG BRITANNIARUM REX FD, rev. the façade of the West Front of St. Paul's Cathedral, SOCIETY OF PATRONS OF CHARITY SCHOOLS – INSTITUTED A.D. 1700, 51mm. (BHM.1060, R2; Grimshaw I, pp 16-17, 39a & b; JT.-), with Victorian hallmark on rim, 1861, maker GA, George William Adams, tooled gilt-silver clasp and bar suspender, dark blue ribband, also with gilt-silver bar suspender and pin, a handsome medal, a little scuffed but extremely fine and extremely rare
Bt. York Coin Fair, January 2012 (£250)
George William Adams worked for Chawner & Co, Silversmiths of Hosier Lane, Smithfield, London. It seems likely that he was responsible for the clasp and suspender and also applied the gilding, perhaps also 'beautifying' the medal by polishing the tops of the letters in the legends to make them stand out. This is the only gilt example known to the cataloguers.
The Charity School movement had begun at the end of the 17th century, and it continued to develop throughout the 18th century and beyond. Philanthropists and reformers were very much aware of the ever-increasing number of children growing up in destitution due to both rapid urbanisation and a rising population.
(300-350 GBP)