Prince of Wales’ Visir to India. The large silver medal of 1875-76

Medal for the Prince of Wales’ Visit to India 1875-76. An exceptionally fine, well toned, example of the large oval medal in silver with its full original silk neck ribbon. This medal given on the tour of H.R.H. Albert Edward Prince of Wales [later the first King Emperor Edward V II] was the first of the official medals to be given on Royal Tours of India and also the largest, being 82mm x 53mm including the crown part of the suspension. It was awarded in gold to the most senior Indian princes and very sparingly in silver to some other princes and high ranking British officials, such as H.R.H.’s Surgeon and ADC General. This example is impressed 212 at the bottom of the oval disc. The medals were issued without naming. The medal. like the 1877 Empress of India Medal was not permitted to be worn by British officers in uniform. The idea of a medal to be worn round the neck was much more in keeping with Indian style. The Medal Year Book suggests there were 48 gold medals and 165 silver issued although it is worth noting that the book has the measurements of the medal wrong. The nature of the recipients accounts for the fact that these medals seldom appear on the market. One of the additional photographs shows the medal with an 1877 medal and a 1903 Durbar medal to give a relative idea of size.      jun14/4

For interest we show a photograph of an Indian Army Major General wearing the 1877 in uniform with his other medals. I believe he was retired when the photograph was taken and I imagine not many people would challenge a general who didn’t obey all the rules about medal wearing.