Item number: M355

Year: AD 1849-1858

Material: 20ct Gold

Size: 34.5 x 34.5 g

Weight: 32.0 g

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This is a gold student medal awarded by the East India Company College, which relocated to the Haileybury campus in England starting in AD 1809, to recognise outstanding achievements in mathematics. According to the certification provided by the auction house, the gold content of this medal starts from 20ct. The design of this medal was delivered to the college in AD 1849. It continued to be awarded to students until the college’s closure in AD 1858.

The medal is circular in shape and crafted from gold. The obverse features a right-facing portrait of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, adorned with a Corinthian helmet topped by an elephant, symbolising India. To Minerva’s left, a cornucopia serves as decoration, while a rudder appears below, accompanied by a caduceus—a symbol of commerce from Greek mythology—on the right. Beneath the rudder is the engraver Thomas Wyon’s signature stamp, “T.WYON.S:”.

The reverse of the medal features a laurel wreath, with the inscription “IN DISCIPL. MATHEM” within the wreath, highlighting the recipient’s excellence in mathematics. Surrounding the wreath, the upper edge bears the abbreviation of the institution’s name, “COLL. ANGLO-IND.” (College of the East India Company), while the lower edge displays the Latin inscription “HONORIS CAUSA” (For the sake of honour). Similar medals exist for achievements in science, economics, and politics, differing only in the inscription within the wreath.

The East India Company College was established in AD 1805 to provide pre-service training for officials and military personnel stationed in India by the East India Company. Its curriculum included the study of oriental languages commonly encountered in the colonies, such as Sanskrit, Persian, and Urdu, alongside professional subjects like mathematics, law, economics, and politics. Initially founded in Hertford Castle in AD 1800, the college relocated in AD 1809 to the Haileybury campus, a complex designed in the classical Greek architectural style. In AD 1858, following the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion, the British government assumed administrative control of the colonies from the East India Company. The college was closed that same year, and three years later, the campus was sold to establish a public school.

物件編號: M355

年代: 公元 1849-1858 年

材質: 20ct 金

尺寸: 34.5 x 34.5 g

重量: 32.0 g

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

這是公元1809年起，搬遷至英格蘭黑利伯瑞校區的「東印度公司書院」頒予數學領域有傑出表現的金質學生獎章。按照拍賣行提供的認證，這枚獎章的含金量是20ct起跳。這枚獎章的樣本是公元1849年送抵學院。此後這枚獎章持續頒發給學生直到公元1858年學院關閉為止。

獎章外觀為圓形，材質為金。獎章正面中央是古羅馬神話中象徵智慧的米娜瓦女神右側肖像，頭上的科林斯頭盔還有一隻象徵印度的大象。女神的左側以「豐裕之角」作為裝飾，下方和右側分別是船舵和希臘神話中象徵商業的「雙蛇杖」。而在船舵下方是雕刻家湯瑪士·威恩的姓名戳記「T.WYON.S:」。

獎章背面有一個月桂花環，花環內部的銘文「IN DISCIPL. MATHEM」標誌得獎學生在數學的優秀表現。花環外圍的上緣是校名縮寫「COLL. ANGLO-IND.」(英國印度書院)，下緣則是拉丁銘文「HONORIS CAVSA.」(為了榮譽)。這枚獎章尚有類似的「科學、經濟和政治領域」獎牌，僅有花環內部的銘文有差異。

東印度公司書院成立於公元1805年，替東印度公司派駐印度的官員和軍人進行職前訓練，學科包含在殖民地任職會接觸到的東方語言(梵文、波斯文和烏爾都文) 也有數學、法律、經濟和政治等專業課程。書院最早於公元1800年成立於赫特福德城堡，公元1809年搬遷至古希臘風格建築群的黑利伯瑞校區。公元1858年，隨著印度譁變的爆發，英國政府從公司接過殖民地的行政權，書院也於同一年關閉，並且在三年後將校地賣出作為公立學校。