. . "Object Type
\nFive different official medals were produced in bronze for the Great Exhibition. The Council medal, Prize medal and Jurors medal were the main awards, while the Exhibitors and For Services medals were less prestigious.
\n\nThis is the Exhibitors medal that was designed by William Wyon (1795-1851), Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint at the time of the Exhibition. The obverse (or front) has a portrait of Prince Albert who was President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition. The reverse has a terrestrial globe, with a dove resting on the top, and an inscription. There were nearly 14,000 exhibitors in the Exhibition, and each received a medal like this, along with a certificate and a copy of the reports of the juries.

\nPeople
\nMiss Sarah Ann Cunliffe, Inventor, of Saffron Walden was awarded this medal for her 'Infant's knitted robe'. She did not win any special prize but her work had been selected from among the many thousands submitted for display.

\nMaterials & Making
\nThe medal was struck from a die. In this method, metal blanks were placed between two hardened-steel dies which were then hit with great force. On impact, the softer bronze 'flowed' into all the hollows and spaces in the die. This technique produced finished medals in huge numbers with hardly any loss of detail or clarity. The original dies for the Great Exhibition medals came to light some years ago in the stores of the V&A and are now on display in Gallery 64."@en . .