LONDON.- The Royal Society King’s Medal in gold awarded to Sir John Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS (1792-1871), one of the great British scientists of the 19th century is estimated to fetch in excess of £60,000 when it is included in the sale of Orders, Medals and Decorations at Morton & Eden in London on 7 December 2022.

Made of solid gold and weighing almost 10 ounces, this magnificent medal has not been seen since it last appeared at auction more than 70 years ago when it sold for £150.

The Royal Society’s Royal Medal, also known as the King’s Medal (or, later, Queen’s Medal), was created by George IV in 1826 as a highly distinguished award for contributions to the ‘advancement of natural knowledge’ or ‘in the applied sciences’.

James Morton, Director of Morton & Eden said: “This gold medal of 1833 is outstanding not only because it is a rare and magnificent survivor from the early years of this prestigious award but also because it was presented to the extraordinary polymath Sir John Herschel. As such we expect it to appeal to a wide range of collectors and institutions.”

Sir John was celebrated not only as a highly regarded astronomer, a study he referred to as “star gazing”, but also as an inventor, mathematician, chemist, botanist, philosopher and writer in many branches of science. Sir John can also be credited with having made significant discoveries to the nascent science of photography. In fact he introduced the very terms ‘photography’, ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ to the English language. He also collaborated with the other early photography pioneer Fox Talbot and Julia Margaret Cameron was a personal friend of the family.

In addition Sir John debated the origin of species with Charles Darwin and from 1850 to 1855 he became Master of the Royal Mint, during which time he initiated important improvements to the standards of gold coinage.

Sir John was subsequently awarded two other Royal Society Gold Medals in 1836 and 1840, which were also sold at the same auction in 1951 but their whereabouts are now unknown.

Following his death in 1871 Herschel was buried with great ceremony in Westminster Abbey near to Sir Isaac Newton’s tomb, whose image features on the reverse of the gold medal. Eleven years later Charles Darwin was laid to rest in the adjacent tomb to Herschel.

The auction, conducted by Morton & Eden, will take place online on 7 December 2022.