Lot 1784

1880 - Medal 'Swammerdam-medaille van het Genootschap ter bevordering van natuur-, genees- en heelkunde te Amsterdam' by M.C. de Vries (Zw.-) - Obv. Aesculapius sitting at altar / Rev. Empty field surrounded by wreath and legend - bronze 56 mm - VF/XF - very rare - NB The obverse die was made in 1840 for the normal prize medal (Dirks 571). For the ten-yearly Swammerdam prize, instituted in 1880, a separate reverse die was cut, which was used at the first granting to C.T. von Siebold in 1881. This reverse die however broke and a new one was made for the second granting in 1900 (Zwierzina 133). In the meantime some bronze model 1880-medals had been made for collectors, like this one.