Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 54 9 Dec 2020
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Commemorative Medals, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, oval silver ticket or pass, to the Rt Hon. Henry Dundas, later 1st Viscount Melville and Baron Dunira (1742-1811), Scottish Advocate and Statesman, in five lines, ROYAL SOCIETY EDINBURGH INSTITUTED 1783, rev. engraved lengthwise with recipient's name, RT. HON. HENRY DUNDAS 1783, 37 x 29mm. (D & W 126-127, 196, 204, 205; Withers 2644; CP 143.30), nearly extremely fine with rich tone
*ex A. H. Baldwin vault
Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, elected a Fellow 17 November, 1783; was Vice-President 1789-1796 and was a key figure in obtaining Royal Charter. His half-brother, son-in-law and grandson were all to be Fellows of the Society. Away from the Society he held a number of important political and government posts: Solicitor-General, 1766; MP for Midlothian, 1774-1787 and for Edinburgh, 1787-1802; Lord Advocate, 1775-1783; Treasurer of Navy, 1782-1791; Home Secretary, 1791-1794; Secretary of War, 1794-1801; First Lord of the Admiralty, 1804-1806; and President of the East India Company.
The silver member's admission tickets, each engraved with a name and the date of election to Fellowship are now extremely rare and the present group, including exceptional association pieces, is quite unprecedented in recent auction history.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh was created in 1783 by Royal Charter for "the advancement of learning and useful knowledge". It started with a small group of 178 founder members and the early meetings were held in the College Library of the University of Edinburgh.
(300-400 GBP)
*ex A. H. Baldwin vault
Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, elected a Fellow 17 November, 1783; was Vice-President 1789-1796 and was a key figure in obtaining Royal Charter. His half-brother, son-in-law and grandson were all to be Fellows of the Society. Away from the Society he held a number of important political and government posts: Solicitor-General, 1766; MP for Midlothian, 1774-1787 and for Edinburgh, 1787-1802; Lord Advocate, 1775-1783; Treasurer of Navy, 1782-1791; Home Secretary, 1791-1794; Secretary of War, 1794-1801; First Lord of the Admiralty, 1804-1806; and President of the East India Company.
The silver member's admission tickets, each engraved with a name and the date of election to Fellowship are now extremely rare and the present group, including exceptional association pieces, is quite unprecedented in recent auction history.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh was created in 1783 by Royal Charter for "the advancement of learning and useful knowledge". It started with a small group of 178 founder members and the early meetings were held in the College Library of the University of Edinburgh.
(300-400 GBP)