George IV silver oval mathematics prize medal, dated 1823
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c.1823
This George IV period silver prize medal, dating to December 1823, is of an oval form and measures 6cm in height with an approximate weight of 0.5ozt. The piece is unmarked and, according to electronic testing, is approximately 89% silver.
The obverse is engraved with the Latin inscription 'Ricardo Guallero Synnot Egregie mereritti in Mathematics December 1823', which translates as a recognition of outstanding merit in mathematics. The reverse features the inscription 'Doctarum Hederae Praemia Frontium', surrounding a central motif of an ivy wreath. The ivy wreath acts as a traditional, ancient symbol of learning, historically used by the Greeks and Romans to reward poets and scholars.
The medal is believed to have been awarded to Richard Walter Synnot, an Irish boy born in 1812, during his childhood education. The construction includes a suspension loop, suggesting the medal was intended to be worn or displayed as a personal token of scholastic achievement.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Shape
- oval
- Height
- 6cm
- Weight
- approx. 0.5ozt
- Material
- Silver
Technical characteristics
- Purity
- approx. 89% silver
Design
- Motif
- central wreath of ivy branches
- Obverse inscription
- Ricardo Guallero Synnot Egregie mereritti in Mathematics December 1823
- Reverse inscription
- Doctarum Hederae Praemia Frontium
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.