Chinese Junk Keying 1848 Medal
Offered is a fascinating 27mm medal designed by Messers Allen & Moore, and struck in tin between 1848-50 to be sold as a souvenir aboard the Chinese Junk Keying (then docked at London), BHM#2322. The Keying was a 3-masted trading Junk which was the first Chinese vessel to make a trans-oceanic voyage to the Western world, first to the United States in 1846-47, and then on to the United Kingdom in 1848.
The Keying was purchased through intermediaries by a consortium of British Hong Kong businessmen, in defiance of a Qing dynasty ban on the sale of ships to foreigners. These owners sent her on a goodwill mission to allow for the study of Chinese shipbuilding techniques. She was, by all accounts, a fine craft of Chinese teak, which consistently outperformed Western trading vessels, especially in stormy conditions. It must be noted here that this medallic depiction, as virtually all contemporary illustrations of the Keying, is highly exaggerated, and that the actual ship would not have appeared quite as exotic as on this piece. After 5 years in London as a popular tourist attraction, in 1853, the Keying was sold to a group of Liverpudlian businessmen, who originally wanted to have her tour the world as a floating attraction. This never materialized and by 1855, she was beached at Tranmere in derelict condition, where she was eventually broken up.
Although pierced, this example retains good detail, and does not suffer from the environmental damage which tends to plague pieces made from such unstable alloys. A very scarce medal by any account, this piece represents an opportunity to score the type most economically indeed (unpierced, in this condition would sell for around $500, and high-grade examples will run in the $3000-4000 range).
Offered is a fascinating 27mm medal designed by Messers Allen & Moore, and struck in tin between 1848-50 to be sold as a souvenir aboard the Chinese Junk Keying (then docked at London), BHM#2322. The Keying was a 3-masted trading Junk which was the first Chinese vessel to make a trans-oceanic voyage to the Western world, first to the United States in 1846-47, and then on to the United Kingdom in 1848.
The Keying was purchased through intermediaries by a consortium of British Hong Kong businessmen, in defiance of a Qing dynasty ban on the sale of ships to foreigners. These owners sent her on a goodwill mission to allow for the study of Chinese shipbuilding techniques. She was, by all accounts, a fine craft of Chinese teak, which consistently outperformed Western trading vessels, especially in stormy conditions. It must be noted here that this medallic depiction, as virtually all contemporary illustrations of the Keying, is highly exaggerated, and that the actual ship would not have appeared quite as exotic as on this piece. After 5 years in London as a popular tourist attraction, in 1853, the Keying was sold to a group of Liverpudlian businessmen, who originally wanted to have her tour the world as a floating attraction. This never materialized and by 1855, she was beached at Tranmere in derelict condition, where she was eventually broken up.
Although pierced, this example retains good detail, and does not suffer from the environmental damage which tends to plague pieces made from such unstable alloys. A very scarce medal by any account, this piece represents an opportunity to score the type most economically indeed (unpierced, in this condition would sell for around $500, and high-grade examples will run in the $3000-4000 range).
Offered is a fascinating 27mm medal designed by Messers Allen & Moore, and struck in tin between 1848-50 to be sold as a souvenir aboard the Chinese Junk Keying (then docked at London), BHM#2322. The Keying was a 3-masted trading Junk which was the first Chinese vessel to make a trans-oceanic voyage to the Western world, first to the United States in 1846-47, and then on to the United Kingdom in 1848.
The Keying was purchased through intermediaries by a consortium of British Hong Kong businessmen, in defiance of a Qing dynasty ban on the sale of ships to foreigners. These owners sent her on a goodwill mission to allow for the study of Chinese shipbuilding techniques. She was, by all accounts, a fine craft of Chinese teak, which consistently outperformed Western trading vessels, especially in stormy conditions. It must be noted here that this medallic depiction, as virtually all contemporary illustrations of the Keying, is highly exaggerated, and that the actual ship would not have appeared quite as exotic as on this piece. After 5 years in London as a popular tourist attraction, in 1853, the Keying was sold to a group of Liverpudlian businessmen, who originally wanted to have her tour the world as a floating attraction. This never materialized and by 1855, she was beached at Tranmere in derelict condition, where she was eventually broken up.
Although pierced, this example retains good detail, and does not suffer from the environmental damage which tends to plague pieces made from such unstable alloys. A very scarce medal by any account, this piece represents an opportunity to score the type most economically indeed (unpierced, in this condition would sell for around $500, and high-grade examples will run in the $3000-4000 range).