Extremely Important Gold Medal for Lifesaving in Mauritius to be Sold by Noonans
A rare and historically significant Mauritius gold medal for lifesaving heads to auction at Noonans.
The extremely important Strathmore Rescue gold medal for Life Saving will be included in the sale of Coins and Banknotes of the Southern Indian Ocean at Noonans Mayfair on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 1 pm [lot 283]. It is estimated at £4,000-£5,000. It is part of the Hauchler Collection, which comprises 355 lots of medals, tokens, and other related objects from Mauritius and Madagascar and is expected to fetch a total of £100,000.
As Oliver Hepburn, Coin Specialist at Noonans explained: “The sailing ship, Strathmore, left Gravesend in Kent on 19 April 1875 for New Zealand carrying 51 passengers, 38 crew, and a cargo of railway iron and gunpowder. On July 1, the ship sailed into thick fog in the South Indian Ocean and was wrecked on the Crozet Islands. Captain Macdonald and the first officer were washed overboard, but the second officer and crew managed to launch two lifeboats, with survivors taken ashore onto one of the islands. They remained there for seven months until rescued by Captain D. L. Gifford of the American whaler Young Phoenix on 21 January 1876. 20 of the survivors were transferred to the Sierra Morena and landed in Ceylon, while Captain Gifford took the rest to Mauritius.”
He added: “A small run of silver and bronze medals were issued to the crew members of the American Barque the Young Phoenix by the inhabitants of Mauritius. This particular example in gold, accompanied by original presentation case was presented to Chief Officer F.C. Swain and is the only known of its type, having come up for private sale just once in the last 50 years.”
Jörg Hauchler (1956–2022) was born on 19 December 1956 in Altena, Germany. At an early age, he became interested in history and geography, especially that of the Southwest Indian Ocean region. Later, this led him to take part in many scientific expeditions throughout Madagascar. He developed a passion for Madagascar, Reunion, and the Seychelles. However, he came to especially love Mauritius, where he chose to live after he was married.
Elsewhere in the sale, like the gold medal awarded to F.C. Swain, is a silver variety, which is expected to fetch £1,000-1,500. This is one of just two recorded examples, with the only other being held at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London (Lot 284), while also from Mauritius is a very rare pattern copper Piedfort 25 Sous from the reign of George IV. Considered the finest known example to still exist, it is expected to fetch £3,000-£4,000 (Lot 96).
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