2002 Duke of Wellington & Britannia Gold MedalA large gold medallion issued in 2002 for the 150th anniversary of the Duke of Wellington, with Britannia on the reverse.Gold Medal DescriptionA portrait of Wellington, in military cape, standing in front of a battle scene showing two rows of red and white uniformed soldiers with fixed bayonets, and a mounted cavalryman. This is in a similar style to a number of Channel Islands coins of the same year and theme.The obverse carries the legend: THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON The reverse shows a rather strangely proportioned figure of Britannia, seated facing right, holding a trident in her left hand, with her right hand resting on a shield which bears the Union Flag (Jack), with a lighthouse and sailing ship on a wavy sea behind her. The legend: BRITANNIA appears above her, and the date 2002 appears below her in the exergue. There is also a mintmark CHI in a circle with the alloy purity 999.9 to the right of the date. A fish symbol with the letter W appears on both sides of the coin, and may signify that this was produced or sponsored by Westminster, whose certificate accompanies the medal. We keep returning to our photograph of Britannia on the reverse of this medallion, and wondering exactly why it looks so peculiar. Certainly it looks as though her helmet is several sizes too big, perhaps this is a subtle piece of humour about pieces of military uniform never being the right size. The word BRITANNIA also appear to be rather clumsily executed, and not on a smooth curve, although this may be an optical illusion, and its spacing could have been improved. EdgeThe edge is milled.Technical Specifications
NotesDiameter = Diameter in millimetres.Weight = Gross weight in grams. Fineness = Alloy = millesimal fineness, and carats. Gold Content = Fine gold content in troy ounces. CertificateThe certificate states metal used to be "24 Carat Gold", which approximates to the 99.99% indicated by the C.H.I. fineness mark.The certificate also states the weight as "5oz", but omits to mention that this indicates troy ounces. When we weighed the example shown, we got the weight to be only 155.5 grams gross weight (4.9994 troy ounces), and the actual gold content to be 4.9990 troy ounces. While this discrepancy is not a major one, it is more usual to find a positive tolerance on coins and medals, rather than a negative one. It is not the first time we have noticed somewhat sloppy, approximate, incorrect, or misleading specifications shown on Westminster certificates. Investment & ValueWe do not know the original price for this medallion, but it was probably was ridiculously high, especially if considered as an investment.Our price for this medallion, will make it an absolute bargain bought from us compared with the original purchase price. These considerations of investment value do not take into account the pleasure which can be derived from owning a piece of numismatic and sculptural art. Prices & AvailabilityWe are always happy to buy and sell gold medals and medallions. Prices fluctuate according to a number of factors including gold bullion prices, condition, supply and demand.Please contact us if there is a gold medallion you wish to buy or sell. Currently we would ask 50% premium over gold for a single medallion, as this would entail us splitting a set. For a complete set, we would be happy to accept 5% premium over spot gold.
Duke Of Wellington Medallion
Postage & PackingUK Registered Post (Special Delivery) £9 per orderEU Insured Post £10 per order USA Airmail $10, Insured Shipping $20 Canada Airmail $15, Insured Shipping $30 |
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Obverse of 2002 Duke of Wellington Gold MedallionGold Medals Index
Britannia on Reverse of 2002 Duke of Wellington Gold Medallion |
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