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Medals & Decorations

The Ashmolean Museum has a very good collection of British historical medals, dating from the Tudor period to the present day, with particularly high concentrations for the 18th and 19th centuries. Its continental and world holdings are very diverse, with some particularly significant medals of the Italian Renaissance; Germany and the Low Countries in the Renaissance and Baroque age; the papacy; etc. The decorations are mostly British and date from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century.

Venezuelan commemorative medal - Churchill Second World War Leader Commemorative Medal (HCR98691)

Period

Modern

Person

Sir Winston Churchill, Remo Cademartori, Pedro Centeno-Vallenilla

Mint

Acuñaciones C.A., Caracas (Modern), German State Mint, Karlsruhe (Modern)

Dating

1957

Obverse

JEFES EN LA SEGUNDA GUERRA / CHIEFS IN THE SECOND WAR 1939 1945 / CHURCHILL / G. BRT. G.B. / R.B., head of Sir Winston Churchill facing, slightly to right

Reverse

JEFES / EN LA SEGUNDA GUERRA / CHIEFS IN THE SECOND WAR BANCO / ITALO-VENEZOLANO / 20 GR. DE ORO PURO · VENEZUELA 1957 · 20 GR. FINE GOLD / ORO GR / 22.2 / LEY 900 / R.C. / 1939 / 1945 / P.C.-V., open-winged condor, talons grasping a sword

Polish commemorative plaque - quatercentenary of the birth of William Shakespeare (HCR95036)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare, Karol Tchorek

Dating

c. 1964

Obverse

WILLIAM / SHAKESPEARE, asymmetrical hexagonal three-dimensional sculpted relief

Reverse

KAROL TCHOREK, signature of the artist etched on

Polish commemorative plaque - quatercentenary of the birth of William Shakespeare (HCR95037)

Period

Modern

Person

Karol Tchorek

Dating

c. 1964

Obverse

asymmetrical hexagonal three-dimensional sculpted relief, with sculpted shaped holes

Reverse

KAROL TCHOREK, signature of the artist etched on

Modern commemorative medal - quatercentenary of the birth of William Shakespeare (HCR95606)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

1964?

Obverse

WILLIAM · SHAKESPEARE / 1564 / 1964, draped bust of William Shakespeare, bare head facing, after the Droeshout portrait

Reverse

stylized masks of tragicomedy within a stylized laurel wreath

Modern commemorative medal - quatercentenary of the birth of William Shakespeare (HCR95609)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

1964?

Obverse

WILLIAM · SHAKESPEARE / 1564 / 1964, draped bust of William Shakespeare, bare head facing, after the Droeshout portrait

Modern token (HCR95731)

Period

Modern

Denom.

Halfpenny

Dating

1964?

Obverse

P / IA / IOSEPH · PHILLIPPS · AT · Yᴱ, floral motif top and centre; in centre, falcon

Reverse

HIS / HALF / PENY / 1668 / IN · STRATFORD · VPON · AVON, inscription around; floral motif top and centre

Austrian laudatory medal (HCR95747)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

1964?

Obverse

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AUS STRATFORD-ON-AVON ·, bust of William Shakespeare, facing, loosely after the Chandos portrait; artist's cipher (?)

Reverse

RO / MEO / & / IVL / IA / STRAHL IMMERZU DU STERN DER DICHTER * / 1564 1964 / 900, in centre, book with tassels; inscription around

Modern commemorative medal (HCR95752)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

c. 1964

Obverse

F A M O V S · M E N / FIGVRAS · NOTABLES / GBR. G.B. / SHAKESPEARE, bust of William Shakespeare, facing, within a rim of beads

Reverse

FAMOUS MEN FIGURAS NOTABLES GRANDS HOMMES GROBE MÄNNER GRANDI UOMINI / Silber 1000 / Fein ca 25 g., sun-globe, surrounded by wreath of laurel, within a rim of beads

Modern commemorative medal (HCR95754)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

c. 1964

Obverse

F A M O V S · M E N / FIGVRAS · NOTABLES / GBR. G.B. / SHAKESPEARE, bust of William Shakespeare, facing, within a rim of beads

Reverse

FAMOUS MEN FIGURAS NOTABLES GRANDS HOMMES GROBE MÄNNER GRANDI UOMINI / N.V. GR.15 PLATA 1000, sun-globe, surrounded by wreath of laurel, within a rim of beads

Austrian laudatory medal (HCR95757)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

1964?

Obverse

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AUS STRATFORD-ON-AVON ·, bust of William Shakespeare, facing, loosely after the Chandos portrait; artist's cipher (?)

Reverse

RO / MEO / & / IVL / IA / STRAHL IMMERZU DU STERN DER DICHTER * / 1564 1964 / 900, in centre, book with tassels; inscription around

American token (HCR95758)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

1964?

Obverse

Shakespeare / fE, portrait of William Shakespeare, facing; inscription in Gothic font

Reverse

SHAKESPEARE / REDEEMABLE / FOR ONE / APPLE SHANDY DRINK / 54½ SOUTH MAIN / SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH / fE / DINNER HOUSE AND SANDWICH SHOPPE, mug, with inscription around

Modern commemorative medal - quatercentenary of the birth of William Shakespeare (HCR95956)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare

Dating

1964?

Obverse

WILLIAM · SHAKESPEARE / 1564 / 1964, draped bust of William Shakespeare, bare head facing, after the Droeshout portrait

British commemorative medal - Churchill and the 1940 Club Commemorative Medal - 85th birthday of Sir Winston Churchill (HCR98614)

Period

Modern

Person

Frank Kovacs, Sir Winston Churchill

Mint

Spink & Son, Ltd., London (Modern)

Dating

1959

Obverse

1940 CLUB / CHURCHILL / MASTER MEMBER / BEAVERBROOK, PRESIDENT / FK, bust of Sir Winston Churchill facing, slightly to left; inscription above and in exergue

Reverse

MINISTRY OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION / "TO WHOM / MUST THE / PRAISE BE GIVEN?" / 23ᴿᴰ MARCH 1941 / ROBERT HARDMAN / SPINK LONDON, airplane propeller in centre; oak wreath below

British commemorative medal - Churchill Memorial and Library Commemorative MedalChurchill and the 1940 Club Commemorative Medal - 85th birthday of Sir Winston Churchill (HCR98635)

Period

Modern

Person

Frank Kovacs, Sir Winston Churchill

Mint

Spink & Son, Ltd., London (Modern)

Dating

1959

Obverse

1940 CLUB / CHURCHILL / MASTER MEMBER / BEAVERBROOK, PRESIDENT / FK, bust of Sir Winston Churchill facing, slightly to left; inscription above and in exergue

Reverse

MINISTRY OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION / "TO WHOM / MUST THE / PRAISE BE GIVEN?" / 23ᴿᴰ MARCH 1941 / SPINK LONDON, airplane propeller in centre; oak wreath below

British commemorative medallet (HCR95723)

Period

Modern

Person

Paul Vincze

Dating

1960-1972

Obverse

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE / SOULE OF THE AGE / THE APPLAUSE DELIGHT / THE WONDER OF OUR STAGE / MY SHAKESPEARE RISE / BEN JONSON / GLOBE THEATRE / SWAN THEATRE / P. VINCZE, bust of William Shakespeare within a roundel, facing; flanked by roundels with bird's eye views of the Globe and Swan Theatres; below, the masks of Comedy and Tragedy; quotation by Ben Jonson; above, "William Shakespeare" in the form of a banner

Reverse

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF / KING JOHN / P. VINCZE, scene from "The Life and Death of King John"