Sovereign Rarities Ltd
Auction 7 21 Sep 2022
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George V (1910-1936), gold Royal Society King's Medal for Astronomical Studies, 1918, awarded to Alfred Fowler, bare head left, B.M. on truncation for engraver Bertram Mackennal, Latin legend surrounding, GEORGIVS V REX SOC: REG: LOND: PATRONVS, date in Roman numerals MDCCCCX below, rev. design by William Wyon, a depiction of Sir Isaac Newton to centre with NEWTON below, drawings illustrating his scientific theories either side, the Latin inscription REGIS MVNFICENTIA ARBITRIO SOCIETATIS above round, 296.06g (BHM 4003; Eimer 1915). Hairlines in fields, otherwise about as struck, an exceptional example of a large-size gold medal that rarely comes to market.
The Latin legend on the obverse translates as "George the Fifth, King, Patron of the Royal Society", and on the reverse above Newton as "The King's Choice of the Society".
The Royal (King's) Medal for Astronomy is an award presented each year by the Royal Society for "distinguished contributions to the applied sciences". This particular medal was awarded in 1918 to the famed English Astronomer and Astrophysicist, Alfred Fowler. Born in 1868 on the outskirts of Bradford, Yorkshire, Alfred Fowler was a student of the sciences throughout his adolescence, eventually studying astrophysics at Imperial College London. Fowler was best known in his career for his expertise on spectroscopy, becoming a pioneer in the study of thermal radiation within sunspots, and eventually co-publishing the Pickering-Fowler series with fellow astrophysicist Edward Charles Pickering.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1910, where his citation read - "Distinguished for his contributions to Astronomical Physics by spectroscopic observations of eclipses, solar pre-eminences, and sunspots, and by experimental research bearing on their interpretation. Associated in observations of total eclipses of the sun with Sir Norman Lockyer in 1893, 1896, 1898, 1900, and (with Prof Callendar) in 1905".
Fowler went on to receive the Society's Royal Medal in 1918, and later became the President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1919 to 1921. He passed away in Ealing, London, in June 1940, having left a significant impact on our understanding of astrophysics. His Royal Medal is offered here today, presenting a unique opportunity to own a piece of British scientific history.
Estimate: £15,000-20,000
The Latin legend on the obverse translates as "George the Fifth, King, Patron of the Royal Society", and on the reverse above Newton as "The King's Choice of the Society".
The Royal (King's) Medal for Astronomy is an award presented each year by the Royal Society for "distinguished contributions to the applied sciences". This particular medal was awarded in 1918 to the famed English Astronomer and Astrophysicist, Alfred Fowler. Born in 1868 on the outskirts of Bradford, Yorkshire, Alfred Fowler was a student of the sciences throughout his adolescence, eventually studying astrophysics at Imperial College London. Fowler was best known in his career for his expertise on spectroscopy, becoming a pioneer in the study of thermal radiation within sunspots, and eventually co-publishing the Pickering-Fowler series with fellow astrophysicist Edward Charles Pickering.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1910, where his citation read - "Distinguished for his contributions to Astronomical Physics by spectroscopic observations of eclipses, solar pre-eminences, and sunspots, and by experimental research bearing on their interpretation. Associated in observations of total eclipses of the sun with Sir Norman Lockyer in 1893, 1896, 1898, 1900, and (with Prof Callendar) in 1905".
Fowler went on to receive the Society's Royal Medal in 1918, and later became the President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1919 to 1921. He passed away in Ealing, London, in June 1940, having left a significant impact on our understanding of astrophysics. His Royal Medal is offered here today, presenting a unique opportunity to own a piece of British scientific history.
Estimate: £15,000-20,000