Important British and World Coins, Tokens, Historial and Art Medals, Numismatic Books and Banknotes

Photographic Society of Scotland (Inst. 1856), a silver award medal by A. Kirkwood & Son, Edinburgh Castle, rev. arms, edge impressed (The Pantascopic Company, 1865), 48mm (Brodie –; Simmons FPL 13, –). About extremely fine, toned, very rare (£40-60)

This medal was one of only seven awarded at the 9th Exhibition of the Photographic Society of Scotland (PSS), staged in Edinburgh from 20 December 1864 to 18 February 1865. The recipient was the Pantascopic Company, of Red Lion square, Holborn, London, a representative of which wrote to the PSS on receipt of the medal: ‘Having given some years’ conscientious labour to perfect the Pantascopic camera and having spent large sums upon it, I naturally look with affection upon the offspring of so much thought and toil. It is therefore with great gratification that I learn that its merits are recognized and acknowledged by persons so competent to judge as the members of your Society.’

The pantascopic camera, invented by Johnson and Harrison in 1862 and used in photographing broad landscapes, is one in which the lens and sensitized plate revolve so as to expose adjacent parts of the plate successively to the light, which reaches it through a narrow vertical slit. Sold with much further background information. Illustration reduced