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Coining, Coining: Maudslay Sons & Field, London, Échantillon or coining-press trial, 1851, for Turkey, in copper, obverse from the reverse die of Abdul Mejid’s second issue 20 Piastres with the accession date AH 1255, reverse arabseque pattern, LAMBETH LONDON 1851, edge plain, struck en médaille, 38mm (Hawkins pp.839-40, no.2, and pl.27, 7, this piece; cf. BDW 6, 1015). Extremely fine and practically as struck, evenly patinated, very rare (£150-200)

Ex Noble (Pt II, 1150).

Henry Maudslay (1771-1831) and a draughtsman in his employ, Joseph Field (1786-1863) entered into partnership as Maudslay Son & Field in 1821 (restyled Sons in 1832). The business in Lambeth was situated at 110 Westminster Bridge Road. From 1816 until the business closed in 1900, the Maudslay firm supplied and repaired machinery at the Royal Mint. In 1851, when the Mint ceased to operate on a contract basis, Maudslay’s were one of three companies invited to tender for the coining work – a tender that was rejected on the grounds of cost. Undeterred, Maudslay’s succeeded in selling 13 presses to the Turkish government between 1853 and 1860. This is one of the trials made in 1851 and 1852 for the government of Abdul Mejid to approve before that sale