Description:
Birmingham gold medal, 1897
Width 32mm
Medal struck to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria whose sixty year reign had become the longest of any single British monarch. The medal is cross shaped consisting of a central circle with four branches. Each branch has one arch flanked by two points. There is a loop above for suspension with a ring attached. The obverse features the bust of Queen Victoria facing left in the central circle. The top and bottom branches bear the words 'DIAMOND/ JUBILEE'. The branch to the left bears the date of Victoria's ascension to the throne (1837) and the right hand branch bears the date of the diamond jubilee (1897). The reverse bears the inscription 'IN/ COMMEMORATION/ OF THE/ DIAMOND JUBILEE/ OF/ QUEEN VICTORIA/ JUNE 1897'. Between the words 'of' and 'Queen Victoria' are the hallmarks. The first, 'H.B.S', is the makers mark. The second, '9.375', refers to the quality and content of gold, in this case the medal is 9 carat gold with a proportional gold content of .375. The final hallmark is the date letter for 1897.