Lot 227
A silver Seringapatam Medal issued by the Honourable East India Company Birmingham, 1801-2
25 October 2021, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £3,825 inc. premium
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A silver Seringapatam Medal issued by the Honourable East India Company
Birmingham, 1801-2
Birmingham, 1801-2
circular, depicting the British lion overcoming the Tiger, above a standard inscribed in Arabic asadullah al-ghalib ('The Lion of God is Triumphant'), inscribed below IV MAY MDCCXCIX, reverse depicting a view of the fortress of Seringapatam with troops massing outside, Persian inscription at bottom, with suspension ring and associated orange cloth ribbon
diam. of medal 48 mm.; weight 45.6g.
diam. of medal 48 mm.; weight 45.6g.
Footnotes
The Persian inscription on the reverse reads: khodadad seri rang patan ra 28 dhi'l-qa'da 1213 ba hijra, 'God-given, Seringapatam, 28th dhu'l-qa'da 1213 of the hijra' [3rd May 1799].
The medals were designed by Conrad Heinrich Küchler and 850 were produced in silver at the Soho mint in Birmingham between 1801 and 1802. They were issued unnamed and without any means of suspension for wear. Recipients were expected to arrange their own ribbons, rings and bar suspenders, and some would have their own details engraved on the medal. Although there was no formal regulation, the medal was usually worn on the left chest from a watered pale orange ribbon, the shading representing the stripes of a tiger. For other examples, see Sotheby's, The Tipu Sultan Collection, 25th May 2005, lots 42, 44 and 45.