British, Italian and World Coins, Commemorative Medals, Numismatic Books

Algeria, Association des Amis du Sahara et de l’Eurafrique, a bronze award medal by R. Delamarre for the Automobile Club de la Province d’Alger, robed African female standing with shield, rev. map of Africa with symbolic modes of transport at right, centre tablet engraved (Rallye Automobile Méditerranee-Le Cap, 1951, Mme Lloyd Davies), 76mm. Somewhat dirty, otherwise very fine and very rare, especially to a lady recipient £100-150

Provenance: Bt Spink October 1995.

After the Second World War a number of British and French privateers successively drove down the record for the time taken to cross Africa by car, reducing it to 13 days. 1951 was the year of ‘Cape Fever’ and in January and February Octave Meynier (1874-1961), organised a rally from Algiers to Cape Town, a 10,000-mile (16,000 km) event sponsored by the Automobile Club de la Province d’Alger, which attracted a small group of participants. In the interest of politics, the joint winners were deemed to be the drivers of a French Delahaye, a US Jeep and a British Land Rover. The event was also run in 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1961, after which the deteriorating political situation in Africa caused it to be abandoned