The Slave Trade abolished by Great Britain 1807, bronze medal by GF Pidgeon / J Philp (reverse) for Macauley & Babington, struck circa 1814

Obv: A white man and a negro shake hands, beyond is a view of an African village and a tree around which dance five negroes, WE ARE ALL BRETHREN above, SLAVE TRADE ABOLISHED BY GREAT BRITAIN 1807 in exergue

Rev: Arabic legend in five lines, English translation is: Sale of slaves prohibited in 1807, Christian era, in the reign of George III, verily we are all brothers

Condition: Good very fine, minor spots; Diameter: 36mm

References: E 984a; DW 188/694

Notes: Although the British slave trade was abolished in 1807, it was only in 1834 that slaves in British colonies were emancipated. The slave trade in America continued for longer, and a little known (or conveniently forgotten) fact is that the Arabs of North Africa had been trading European slaves for centuries, a practice only abolished at the start of the 20th century! It has been suggested that this medal was intended for use as a token in Sierra Leone.

Price £150