Waterloo Medal, 1815 (1849). Copper Electrotype Original, 141.3mm. By Benedetto Pistrucci. BHM 870, described as RR. Uncirculated. Obv. Conjoined busts l. of Britain's Prince Regent George, Austrian Emperor Franz I, Russian Emperor Alexander I and Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. An elaborate outer horder of mythological figures recalls the month of the victory, the restoration of peace and justice and penning of the Furies of war in the Cimmerian caves by Hercules. The reverse depicts victorious commanders Arthur Duke of Wellington and Prussian Field Marshal Blücher as the Discouri surrounded by Jupiter striking down 19 battling mermen symbolizing the years of the Napoleonic wars. With its huge size and 60 figures making up the design, the Waterloo Medal was to be an artistic triumph worthy of the military one. The massive steel dies were finished only after 30 years of wrangling with the temperamental Pistrucci, but by then all four sovereigns had died. No medals were actually struck, as the Lords of the Treasury were unwilling to risk breaking the monumental steel dies. Instead, they issued only a limited number of official Electrotypes that have been eagerly collected ever since. Splendid glossy light brown surfaces enrich this medal, close study reveals a subtle edge bruise at 8:00. (Est. $2,000-$2,500)
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