This is a medal issued in AD 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebration of Queen Victoria, who was the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom at the time. The celebration marked fifty years of her reign, and medals were issued in gold, silver, and bronze. This was the second Golden Jubilee celebration held in the United Kingdom since the reign of Queen Victoria’s grandfather, King George III.
This miniature version corresponds to the silver medal. On the obverse is the portrait of Queen Victoria, sculpted by the renowned sculptor Joseph Edgar Boehm, wearing a small diamond crown. This portrait was later used in coinage designs in Britain and its colonies, earning it the nickname “Jubilee Head.” The obverse inscription includes the Queen’s Latin name and title, “VICTORIA D.G. REGINA ET IMPERATRIX F.D,” while the reverse is inscribed in English with “In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria · June 21, AD 1887.” The medal’s blue ribbon is decorated with a white stripe on each side. Ten years later, during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in AD 1897, the British government also issued a Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medal based on this design.
Before the Golden Jubilee commemoration, Queen Victoria had withdrawn from public view and earned the monicker “Widow of Windsor” due to the profound grief following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, in AD 1861. During this period, she predominantly wore black robes. It wasn’t until the Golden Jubilee celebrations in AD 1887 that Queen Victoria returned to the public eye. On the second day of the celebrations, June 21st, she appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to address the nation. This balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace, addressing the nation, became an important tradition for the British monarchy’s interaction with the public in the years to come.
這枚迷你版對應的是銀質獎章。正面是知名雕塑家約瑟·愛德嘉·保漢雕塑的,頭戴小形鑽石皇冠的維多利亞女王左側肖像。該肖像隨後應用在英國和其殖民地的鑄幣圖案,使其得到「金禧頭」雅稱。正面的銘文是女王的拉丁名諱和頭銜「VICTORIA D.G. REGINA ET IMPERATRIX F.D」,反面則是以英文寫上「紀念維多利亞女王即位50周年 · 1887年6月21日」。獎章的藍色綬帶,於兩側各有一道白色條紋作裝飾。十年後,公元1897年鑽禧紀念活動時,佊時政府亦模仿該獎章發行鑽禧紀念獎章。
Borna Barac, Reference Catalogue Orders Medals and Decorations of the World : instituted until 1945 : Part II Bronze Book D-G (Craotia:OBOL d.o.o. Zagreb, 2010)