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New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal: CM.1322-2009

An image of New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Mint: London
Ruler: Victoria (1837-1901)
State: United Kingdom
Ruler: Victoria regina et imperatrix (With the title of)

Entities

Categories

Description

Awards for Meritorious Service were instituted in the Royal Army in 1845, entitling the recipient to a medal and an annuity of £20. This was paid from a fixed fund, so that once it had been allocated no further awards could be made unless a recipient died or the fund was increased (it was doubled in 1853). One by one, similar arrangements were made by the various Colonial governments, and New Zealand's Meritorious Service Medal was instituted in 1898.
Although Queen Victoria died in 1901, the portrait on the New Zealand MSM had not yet been changed to that of the new king, Edward VII by 1903, when the inscription indicates that this medal was awarded, to Sergeant Frederick Carthy of the Royal New Zealand Artillery. Lester Watson purchased his medal at some point before 1928.

Notes

History note: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt before 1928

Legal notes

Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 36.3 mm
Weight: 35.46 g

Place(s) associated

  • London

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2009) by Watson, Lester

Dating

1898 - 1901

Materials used in production

Silver

Techniques used in production

Struck

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Bust of Victoria facing left with veil

  • Text: VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX
  • Location: Obverse
  • Type: Design

Inscription present: Inscription in centre, crown above and laurel wreath around

  • Location: Reverse
  • Type: Design

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: CM.1322-2009
Primary reference Number: 141416
Watson Catalogue: 228
Ordering: M-0205
Previous object number: LW.0205
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 15 January 2024 Last processed: Monday 15 January 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Coins and Medals

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141416 Accessed: 2024-03-28 15:57:28

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141416 |title=New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-28 15:57:28|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-141416

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal</figcaption>
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