Ancient, British and World Coins, Historical Medals and Banknotes

Voyage of Captain Parry to the North Pole, 1821-22: an engraved coin, perhaps a George III Shilling (ESC 1228-1237), with the edge filed smooth, one side engraved “ Griper Captain Parry’s voyage Melville Isle North Pole, 1821-2” in contemporary script. Very fine

Sir William Edward Parry (1790-1855), arctic explorer, born at Bath, the son of the eminent physician, Caleb Hillier Parry. He entered the navy as a midshipman and served against the Danes in 1808. He took part in several expeditions to the Artcic regions between 1819 and 1827. This engraved memento refers to his first expedition, an attempt to find the Northwest Passage which began in 1819 and the small land expedtion to explore Melville Island in 1820.See the collected edition of his voyages (1833) and the standard biographical dictionaries for further details of Parry’s career