Matthew Boulton, Medallic Scale, New Machinery for Striking Coins
Matthew Boulton, Medallic Scale, New Machinery for Striking Coins, bronze medal, circa 1803, by R. Dumarest, draped bust of Matthew Boulton profile right with hair in queue, MATT. BOULTON ESQ. R. F. R. S. L. N & ED. F. R. I. & A. S. , rev. (400) M. BOULTON ERIGEA A SOHO ANGL: 1788 UNE MACH: A VAPEUR PR : FRAP : MONN: (480) 1798 . IL ER: UNE BIEN SUPERIEURE A 8 BALANCIERS NOUVEAUX . (560) CES CERC: & CHIF: MARQ: LE DIAM: & NO: DE PIECES FRAP : P : MIN : (640) P : 8 ENFANS SANS FATIG : DU PL : PET OU PL : GR : VOLUME . (720) OU DE 8 DIFF : GRAND : ENSEMBLE . ON PEUT (800) AUGM : L'EFF : AU DEG : NECESS . (920) / (400) MATTHEW BOULTON ERECTED AT SOHO, ENGLAND IN 1788, A STEAM POWERED MACHINE TO STRIKE MONEY (480). IN 1798 HE SET UP A MUCH BETTER ONE WITH EIGHT NEW 'BALANCIERS' (560). THESE CIRCLES AND NUMBERS INDICATE THE DIAMETER AND NUMBER OF PIECES STRUCK PER MINUTE (640) BY EIGHT CHILDREN WITHOUT FATIGUE OF THE SMALLEST OR THE GREATEST VOLUME . (720) OR OF 8 COMBINATIONS ONE CAN (800) INCREASE EFFICIENCY TO THE NECESSARY DEGREE (920). 43 mm, ( Pollard 27; B. H. M. 462), Good extremely fine, a handsome medal. £Sold
This medal, an early example of a promotional sample for Boulton's Soho Mint, with each numbered circle indicating how many coins of that diameter could be struck in one minute by eight of Boulton's presses.
This medal was produced by Boulton to record the effectiveness of his machine and also to serve as a public record of his various improvements since he feared they would be claimed by the French. See J. G. Pollard, Matthew Boulton and Conrad Heinrich Kuchler, 'Numismatic Chronicle', 1970, p. 295, No. 27.
This medal is believed to have been struck at the Soho manufactory c. 1803.
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