Item number: M160

Year: AD 1972

Material: Gold

Size: 23.8 x 68.0 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 12.4 g

Provenance: Spink 2024

This is a “H. M. The King’s Medal” awarded by King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden in AD 1972. The obverse of the medal features a left-facing portrait of the king, surrounded by the inscription “Gustaf VI Adolf Sveriges Konung” in Swedish. The reverse side bears the name of the recipient “G. I. Johansson” and the year of the award “1972”, with the edge inscribed with “Guld 1963”. The medal is suspended by a fixed ring suspension and attached to a deep blue ribbon.

The precursor of the The King’s Medal was originally intended to reward individuals who had demonstrated long-term loyalty and service to the court. Since AD 1975, the award has been extended to civilians who have made significant contributions to Sweden, not limited to the court. It is worth noting that unlike common medal grading systems that use terms like “First Class” or “Knight Class,” the King’s Medal in Sweden follows the “Berch scale” invented by the Swedish numismatist Carl Reinhold Berch in the late 18th century. This scale includes three sizes: 12, 8, 5, with this medal being the entry-level 5^th size, having a diameter of approximately 24 mm. (See Table)

The King’s Medal has evolved to include both gold and silver materials. Furthermore, the highest grade, 12^th size, allows recipients to choose between a ribbon or a gold necklace according to their personal preference.

物件編號: M160

年代: 公元 1972 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 23.8 x 68.0 x 1.6 mm

重量: 12.4 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2024

這是一枚公元1972年，時任瑞典國王古斯塔夫六世頒發的「國王陛下獎章」。獎章正面是國王的左側肖像，周圍以瑞典文刻寫「古斯塔夫六世 阿道夫 瑞典國王」銘文。獎章背面刻有得獎者名字「強納生」和獲獎年份「1972」，側邊則有「黃金 1963」銘文字樣。獎章以一個固定環形懸掛銜接深藍色的綬帶。

國王陛下獎章的前身，是獎勵那些替宮廷付出長期忠誠服務的人士。自公元1975年起，頒發對象不再侷限於宮廷內，為瑞典做出特殊貢獻的平民也有獲獎資格。值得一提的是，不同於常見的獎章等級命名，以「一等」或「騎士級」作為稱呼。國王陛下獎章依循公元18世紀末，瑞典錢幣學家卡爾·萊因霍爾德·貝希發明的「貝希量表」為單位，依序有「12、8、5」三種尺寸等級。這枚獎章是作為入門款的5號尺寸，其直徑約為24 公釐。(見下表)

國王陛下獎章演變至現代，分為金和銀兩種材質外，最高等級的12號尺寸還能按得獎者個人喜好，選擇綬帶或金項鍊。