Medals

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0117 M
Held at	: Royal Society   Click here to find out how to view this collection at https://royalsociety.org/collections/ ›
Full title	: Medals
Date(s)	: 1731-
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 268 medals
Name of creator(s)	: Various
Detailed catalogue	: Click here to view repository detailed catalogue

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

The Royal Society King Charles II Medal was instituted by Council in 1997. It is awarded at the discretion of Council only to foreign Heads of State who have made an outstanding contribution to furthering scientific research in their country. The Medal is awarded only in exceptional circumstances and is normally presented on the occasion of a State Visit. The first medal was awarded in 1998 to His Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan, the second to the Prime Minister of India in 2007.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

A collection of medals and tokens, largely scientific awards, but with some miscellaneous items in base and precious metals. The core of the series consists of specimens of the Royal Society's own 15 medals and awards, from the earliest (the Copley Medal 1731) to the most recent (the Gabor Medal 1989). This includes some given to named Fellows and returned to the Society as gifts or bequests. Other items include prizes of foreign scientific academies, and pieces commemorating individual Fellows and Foreign Members.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Conditions governing access:

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction:

No publication without written permission. Apply to Archivist in the first instance.

Finding aids:

A handlist is available giving descriptions of each piece, including awarding body, date and physical appearance. An early printed catalogue provides some useful information: 'List of portraits and busts and catalogue of medals in the possession of the Royal Society', (London 1892).

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Copied from the Royal Society catalogue by Sarah Drewery.

Rules or conventions:
General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Feb 2009.