Ancient, British and World Coins, Tokens, Historical Medals and Banknotes

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

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
Heinrich Kautsch (1859-1943), Prague-born medallist and sculptor, spent most of his active life in Paris. It is uncertain when this plaque, or the following medal, were executed; Forrer does not refer to them, which makes it appear likely that they do not pre-date 1914.
See Plate IV