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Scarce ‘gold’ winner's medal issued for sailing at the London 1908 Olympics. Silver, 33.5 mm, 22 gm, designed by Bertram Mackennel; manufactured by Vaughton & Sons, England. The front, inscribed, "Olympic Games, London 1908," features a victorious athlete being crowned with a laurel wreath by two seated females; the reverse depicts St. George, the patron saint of England, slaying a dragon as a goddess looks on. The edge is engraved with the name of the placing, event, and recipient, “Winner 12 Metre Yacht-Race ‘Hera’ K. Buchanan.” Includes its original red leather presentation case with bold gilt lettering: “Olympic Games, Winner. 12 Metre Yacht Race. London, 1908.” The case bears slight wear to the underside.
The 12-meter yacht race at the 1908 London Games consisted of a field of just two teams, both hailing from Great Britain, with one being a Scottish boat named ‘Hera,’ and the other a British boat named ‘Mouchette.’ Held at the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club in Hunters Quay, the last race concluded on August 12, 1908, with the Hera and its 10-man crew, which included John Buchanan, taking first place. This first-place medal is silver because silver medals were presented to both second-place finishers and to members of first-place teams; only the first mate of the winning yacht team received an actual ‘gold’ medal. Members of the winning teams did receive red gold medal presentation cases.
