Description
GREAT BRITAIN 1874 International Exhibition by George T, Morgan (presented to Henry H. Gibbs), 51.5mm bronze medal 74.6 grams (BHM 2922, Eimer 1633) comes with A. H. Baldwin & Sons London kraft paper coin envelope. The tree on the reverse has a rub, and the circular rim above the sky has some marks
Obverse: Bust of Albert facing left ALBERT. EDWARD. PRINCE. OF. WALES PRESIDENT / G. MORGAN SC
Reverse: façade of building including Albert Hall LONDON. ANNUAL. INTERNATIONAL. EXHIBITION. OF. ALL. FINE. ARTS. INDUSTRIES. AND. INVENTIONS MDCCCLXXIV
Edge: HENRY H. GIBBS CATALOGUE NO. 6581
The annual part was short lived as this international exhibition in South Kensington was closed in 1874 due to lack of interest. The medal recipient was Henry H. Gibbs
Henry Hucks Gibbs (1819-1907) In 1851, he became a director of the Bank of England and from 1875 to 1877 served as its Governor. Gibbs became a leading figure in the City of London and a vociferous proponent of bimetallism (using both silver and gold to define the value of a currency rather than gold alone). He was also a strong supporter of the Conservative Party and founded the St. James Gazette in 1880 as a mouthpiece for Tories in the City. He was elected MP for the City of London in a by-election in 1891 but stood down in the general election in 1892, when his son, Alban, was elected in his place. In 1896 he was elevated to the peerage with the title Baron Aldenham of Aldenham.
George Thomas Morgan (November 24, 1845 – January 4, 1925) was a United States Mint engraver who is famous for designing many popular coins, such as the Morgan dollar and the reverse of the Columbian Exposition half dollar. Morgan was born in Birmingham, England where he worked for many years as a die engraver. He came to the United States in 1876 and was hired as an assistant engraver at the Mint in October under William Barber. He figured very prominently in the production of pattern coins from 1877 onward, and designed several varieties of 1877 half dollars, the 1879 "Schoolgirl" dollar, and the 1882 "Shield Earring" coins. He became the seventh Chief Engraver of the United States Mint following the death of Charles E. Barber in February 1917. Morgan is most famous for designing the Morgan dollar, one of many namesakes, as well as the never-released $100 Gold Union coin.
