Description
GREAT BRITAIN 1813 Battle of San Sebastian, 41mm copper medal 37.31 grams from 1820 by T. Webb & G. Mills for the Mudie National Series, (Mudie 24, BHM 761, Eimer 1036)
Obverse: bust facing right, LIEUT GENERAL LORD LYNEDOCH
Reverse: soldier in Roman dress, standing upon ramparts, holds a crown aloft; beyond, a castle burning, S. SEBASTIAN AUG XXXI MDCCCXIII D.
James Mudie's series of forty "National Medals" was produced in 1820 and manufactured by Sir Edward Thomason in Birmingham, England. The medals celebrate British triumphs in the Napoleonic wars over the French spanning a 20 year period, from 1797 to 1817. They serve as a counter to the numerous, officially issued French medals glorifying the battles and events of Napoleon's reign. They are the same size, 41 millimeters as the official Napoleonic medals, and most of the dies were produced in France.
Thomas Webb (1797 - 1822) was an English coin and medal engraver. He is associated with the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. Webb worked for the noted metal producer, Sir Edward Thomason who struck the Mudie series.
George Mills (c1792 – 1824) was a British sculptor, engraver and medallist.
Mills exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1816-1823 and gained three gold medals from the Royal Society of Arts. He produced a number of coin patterns while employed at the
