Great Britain AR Medal (Rutland Legion Riflemen, BMC M.4371)

GREAT BRITAIN. Time of George III (1760-1820)
Rutland Legion Riflemen AR Medal (32.0mm 11.38g, 12h)
Minted c. 1803-1813 by (or after) John Milton, medallist
Obverse: GEORGIVS · III · DEI · GRATIA · , laureate bust of King George III right
Reverse: RUTLAND LEGION RIFLEMEN around target with hatched center
References: BMC M.4371; see also Noonan’s, 3/8/2022 lot 1474 (hammer £360).

Rich cabinet toning, some obverse scratches. An extremely rare silver medal minted by (or after) British medalist John Milton (1759 – 1805), for the Rutland Legion Riflemen, a company of riflemen raised in 1803 by George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea, for the defense of the British homeland in anticipation of a French invasion under Napoleon. The Rutland Legion Riflemen were attached to the Rutland Yeomanry Cavalry, which itself had been raised in 1794. The rifle company was disbanded in 1813. This medal was presumably struck for members of the company, which probably numbered around 100 men. Only a handful of these medals have survived to the present day.

Sammlung : World coins - medieval to present