Lot 633
George III (1760-1820), Earl St. Vincent's Reward, Gold medal 1800 by C. Kuechler after Flaxman.
Ancient, British & World Coins - Auction 120 | C25001
Auction: 12 March 2025 at 10:00 GMT
Estimate: £7,500 - £9,500
Description
Uniformed bust of Adm. Jervis l., EARL ST VINCENT'S TESTIMONY OF APPROBATION 1800, rev. Naval officer and enlisted sailor shaking hands, with a backdrop of the Union flag, all within an oaken wreath. 47mm/approx. 61.5gm. (BHM 489; Eimer 919). As struck with original lustre, in contemporary, glazed lunettes within a gold (18ct) bezel mount with suspension loop. Housed in a contemporary tooled and fitted box of maroon leather and interior velvet in sound condition. Superb and very rare.
Footnote
When the British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a much larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal in February 1797, Jervis was made Baron Jervis of Meaford and Earl St Vincent - and was granted a pension for life of £3,000 per annum. Three years later he presented silver and bronze examples of this medal to those officers and sailors who followed him from his flagship Victory to HMS Ville de Paris and remained loyal to him during the mutiny at the Nore (which involved over 10% of the seamen in the Royal Navy). A specimen in gold was presented to George III and is now in the British Museum and there is also another gold example in the National Maritime Museum – the raised inscription around the edge reading+(SOHO)+ STRUCK AT THE MINT OF MATTHEW BOULTON. It is not known how many gold specimens were made or whom else they were given, although it is known that he did give out several throughout his life. We do now however know that the medal was designed by Lady Spencer and this fact is recorded in correspondence to her from Jervis in June 1801.
