2017-07-15 Sat

The plan of releasing a special medal to honour the British soldiers who fought the First Opium War, never bore fruit. A design for the silver Queen Victoria military decoration featuring a vanquished dragon was created, but rejected. This rare pattern medal sold for $26,290 U.S, against an estimate of $4,000 to $8,000, by Heritage Auctions that took place on 22nd and 23rd June in Hong Kong.

Engraver William Wyon’s design features young Queen Victoria on the obverse and the British lion attacking a Chinese dragon on the reverse. An inscription on the reverse translates to “They demanded peace by force of arms”. The design was rejected as it could have harmed the mending fences between the countries.

Hong Kong was given to the British after the Treaty of Nanking was signed in 1842 to end the First Opium War (1839 to 1842). The war took place between UK and China due to imbalances in trade. But the war got its name since tensions mounted after British started importing opium from India. Only some examples of the Gem Uncirculated 29.01 grams medal exist today. A similar one was sold in a July 2010 Dix Noonan Webb auction. The auction house stated that the medal was never suspended and was a die match to the Royal Mint Museum example.