Summary

Australia
Burke and Wills 1861 (AD)
Mint: Stokes, T.
Other Details: Thomas Stokes struck this medal about 1864 to commemorate the 1861 Burke and Wills expedition. The medal appears to be based on the famous sculpture in Melbourne by Charles Summers in 1864-5, and may in fact commemorate the sculpture rather than the expedition itself. The medal was struck on the aging W.J. Taylor press that Stokes had bought in 1857.
Previous Collections: National Gallery of Victoria.

Obverse Description

Copy of statue of Burke & Wills around above, BURKE & WILLS In exergue, []A SC [T] S M

Reverse Description

Around rim the legend, IN COMMEMORATION OF AUSTRALIA BEING FIRST CROSSED at centre in eight lines, BY/BURKE/WILLS/KING/AND/ /GRAY/IN/1861

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

Thomas Stokes struck this medal about 1864 to commemorate the 1861 Burke and Wills expedition. The medal appears to be based on the famous sculpture by Charles Summers in 1864-5, and may in fact commemorate the sculpture rather than the expedition itself. The medal was struck on the aging W.J. Taylor press that Stokes had bought in 1857. -Sharples, John P. 1990. Medals as art: Australia and the Meszaros tradition. -D. Tout-Smith 17/9/2003.

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