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Medal - Federation of the World, the Government of Right, Cole's Book Arcade, Victoria, Australia, circa 1885
Reg. No: NU 20018
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- Summary:
- 'Federation of the World, the Government of Right' gilt medal issued by Cole's Book Arcade, circa 1885. It is one of a series of medals offering maxims and proverbs issued by E.W. Cole at his Book Arcade. He called the medals 'little missionaries for the spread of educative knowledge' (George Dean, 1988, A Handbook on E.W. Cole: His Book Arcade, Tokens and Medals, p.36).
According to Sydney Endacott, an employee of Cole, customers were charged three pence for these medals (which he prefers to call tokens) which, when the Arcade was particularly busy, gave them admission to the second-hand books gallery where the orchestra played. Each medal could be exchanged for thee pence worth of goods, but most were kept. The pierced ones were sometimes worn as pendants or on pocket watch chains. The medals served as perpetual advertisements of the Arcade (Victorian Historical Magazine, February 1962). George Dean suggests that the medals were also given in change at Christmas time, and could be used to operate amusement machines (presumably including the symphonion and hens, although these only required one penny to operate).
Cole had his first medal stuck in 1879 and his last one about 1903. The medals were variously gilded, silvered or bronzed, replicating the coinage then circulating, or plated with nickel or white metal. The medal blanks were usually made of copper or brass, but some might have been bronze; aluminium was also sometimes used. In all, perhaps 300,000 medals were struck, in 97 types. Only 50 types are known to have circulated (Dean, 1988). - Description:
- A gilt bronze medal (31 mm diameter) featuring a a tree fern and a thought-provoking maxim on the obverse and a rainbow shape with further maxim on the reverse.
- Acquisition Information:
- Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 1976
| Discipline: | Numismatics |
| Dimensions: | 31 mm (Diameter) |
| Weight: | 10.61 g (Weight) |
More information
| Tagged with: | advertising, booksellers, languages, religions, retailing, world federation |
| Themes this item is part of: | Edward William Cole, Bookseller (1832-1918), Cole's Book Arcade Collection, George McArthur, Collector & Baker (1842-1903), Numismatics & Philately Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection |
| Primary Classification: | MEDALS |
| Secondary Classification: | Commemorative |
| Tertiary Classification: | commerce & retailing |
| Series: | Cole's Book Arcade Medals |
| DateEra: | circa 1885 AD |
| Obverse Description: | Tree fern in centre; to left of fern, THE GOVERNMENT OF RIGHT THE RELIGION OF GOODNESS to right, THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IMPROVED BY THE BEST WORDS OF ALL OTHER LANGUAGES |
| Reverse Description: | Above rainbow, UNITED STATES OF THE WORLD TIS' COMING TIS' COMING ONE GOVERNMENT ONE RELIGION ONE LANGUAGE BEFORE THE YEAR 2000, below rainbow in tiny letters, FEDERATION OF THE / WORLD MEDALS / ISSUED / BY E.W. COLE / BOOK ARCADE MELBOURNE |
| Edge Description: | Plain |
| Inscriptions: | Obverse: 'THE GOVERNMENT OF RIGHT THE RELIGION OF GOODNESS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IMPROVED BY THE BEST WORDS OF ALL OTHER LANGUAGES'. Reverse: 'UNITED STATES OF THE WORLD TIS' COMING TIS' COMING ONE GOVERNMENT ONE RELIOION ONE LANGUAGE BEFORE THE YEAR 2000 FEDERATION OF THE WORLD MEDALS ISSUED BY E.W. COLE BOOK ARCADE MELBOURNE'. |
| Shape: | Round |
| Material: | Gilt |
| Issued By: | Cole's Book Arcade, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1885 |
| References: | Chitty 31; Dean 40 |
| Bibliography: |
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Themes
This item is part of the following themes:
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