Auction Catalogue

8 September 2000

Starting at 10:30 AM

.

Ancient, British and World Coins. Tokens, Tickets and Passes. Historical and Art Medals. British and World Paper Money.

The Regus Conference Centre  12 St James Square  London  SW1Y 4RB

Lot

№ 977

.

8 September 2000

Hammer Price:
£60

Germany, The Purchase of Manufacturing Rights to the Balance Chambers for Whitehead Torpedos, 1873, a large cast iron uniface maquette for the medal by H. Kautsch, allegorical female seated with olive branches, surveying a view of the Whitehead industrial complex at Fiume, 217mm (Wurzbach 9294; cf. Spink 17.vii.97, 227). About extremely fine, very rare (£70-90)

Ex DNW 35 (607). Illustrated on plates in back of catalogue.

Robert Whitehead (1823-1905), inventor, born in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire; designer and builder of engines fitted to ships in the Austrian(!) navy. Whitehead established the Stabilimento Technico Fiumano at Fiume (Rijeka) on the Adriatic coast, where he made design improvements to the Lupuis torpedo by fitting a balance chamber so that the torpedo, when fired, would maintain a uniform depth. Germany and Italy bought non-exclusive manufacturing rights to the Whitehead torpedo in 1873.