Stamped leather coin/medal? What is this thing?

[bunhead 2]

Hello, coin peeps.

I work for a small museum, and we are currently putting together our Waterloo commemorative display (200 years! Woohoo!). One of our members brought in a small commemorative coin or medal, about 60mm in diameter -- sorry, I don't have it in front of me -- that appears to be made of stamped leather.

Bust of Wellington on one side, date of the battle on 'tother. It has held quite fine detail, but is slightly frayed along the edges. Provenance is "belonged to my brother." I haven't had a chance to photograph it yet, but will happily post a picture if there's any interest.

I'm not turning up anything from Google on stamped leather coins or medals and we have nothing else like it. Can anyone shed any light...? Thank you!

[Rob 3,152]

They have been seen before. There was an example of an 1827 halfpenny struck on leather in St. James's sale no.3 on 3/10/2005, lot 278.

No idea why they were made though.

[Paulus 1,975]

Sounds interesting! Yes pics please!

60mm is small????

[bunhead 2]

60mm is small????

Heh. I suppose you're right -- not small for a coin! Smaller than the other commemorative medallions we've pulled together, though. We have several big lumps of bronze several inches across.

We're racing to get everything together for a ribbon cutting tomorrow morning, so it may be after the weekend, but I'll post a picture eventually.

[Paulus 1,975]

Hope it goes well!

[bunhead 2]

Quick snapshot. I tried to get raking sunlight across it to show details a little better. You can see it once had a shiny finish. This came to us in a plain white envelope that had come completely unglued in the mail! Lucky save.

Our military guy thinks it might have been struck from the dies used for a Waterloo medal issued in the 1840s, long after most of the veterans had died. I can find no examples of that medal on eBay, though. In fact, there are almost no coins or medals where the portrait is facing right. This looks like the portrait it's based on: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Death-DUKE-OF-WELLINGTON-1852-large-Copper-Gilt-medal-by-PINCHES-/121757364329?hash=item1c594df069 and you can see it, too, is facing left.

A little Saturday morning mystery.

[bagerap 706]

This does look as though it was copied from the 25th anniversary medal, issued to raise funds for veterans. Although I collect Wellingtonia, I've not seen one of these before and from memory the original medal was 50 mm.