Prize Medal for the Great Exhibition of 1851

This is a struck bronze award medal designed by William Wyon and Leonard Charles Wyon, commissioned by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Produced in London in 1851, the medal measures 77 mm in diameter and approximately 5 mm in depth. It forms part of a unique presentation set of seven medals awarded to Henry Cole, who served as Prince Albert's chief advisor for the Great Exhibition and on its executive committee. Around the edge, the medal is inscribed "PRESENTATION. HENRY COLE, EXEC. COMMITTEE".

The obverse features conjoined left-facing profile busts of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Victoria is depicted wearing a laurel and jewellery, accompanied by two dolphins beneath the busts and a trident to the right, all encircled by a beaded rim. The reverse shows a seated female figure representing Britannia crowning a kneeling female figure of Industry with a laurel wreath. Standing behind are four attendants representing the Continents—Europe, Asia, Africa, and America—while items representing art and industry, including a bust and a cogged wheel, are piled on the ground.