RARE 3 STERLING SILVER LONDON SWIMMING MEDAL 1861 1863 CDV PHOTO CHAMPION CLUB !

STERLING SILVER SWIMMING MEDALS LONDON 1861 - 1863:

A rare and very collectable group of early swimming medals awarded to William Matthew Oliver of London, an original member of the London Swimming Club (established back in 1859) one of the oldest swimming racing clubs in the world. He started his dominance of swimming by winning the St George Medal for swimming in 1861, then the next 2 years he took out first place in the annual London Swimming Club race.
All three stunning medals are in magnificent condition with original patina bloom, and all manufactured in sterling silver. The 2 red ribbons have had wear from being hung in a cabinet and worn on special occasions. The London medals measure 1 ½ inches (38mm) in diameter, while the impressive St George Medal measures 1 11/16th inches (43mm) in diameter. All together they weigh approx. 110 grams. Along with these is a beautiful CDV photograph c.1863 to add to the provenance, it shows William wearing these exact medallions while sitting in front of a model of the ship he will embark on, to live in South Australia around 1864. The photo is lifting slightly from the backing card, but can be fixed quite easily.
William became a well known figure in the new Colony and owned and managed many well known Hotels. He continued his swimming career, winning more medals (two of which I have up for bids on another auction), and even using his skills to rescue 2 men from drowning in the Murray River, which he received a bravery medal for (I unfortunately don’t have that one).
A fantastic addition to any swimming or medal or exonumia collection. Please visit my other auctions as there are more vintage items being listed, along with Oliver’s Australian medals.

Shipping:

Payment:

Pay me securely with any major credit card through PayPal!