Rare Captain Cook Medal Heads to Museum

A rare 18^th century medal issued to commemorate the death of famed explorer James Cook, discovered at a Yorkshire car boot sale, is to become part of an exhibition marking the 300^th anniversary of Cook’s birth at the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby in 2028. The Chairman of Trustees for the museum, Richard Kornicki, said “This is a major acquisition for a volunteer-run Museum with no public funding; it will be displayed in the harbourside building where the young James Cook lived as an apprentice as part of a special exhibition to reflect on the legacy of his remarkable life and achievements.”.

The Death of Captain Cook Medal is believed to be among the earliest pieces issued to commemorate the death of the explorer James Cook, who was killed following a dispute with Native Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay on 14 February 1779. Struck in bronze and featuring a prominent portrait of Cook, examples of this medal are seldom offered at auction and only two are listed in museum collections – one in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, and the other in the Powerhouse Collection in Sydney. The medal was purchased for the museum in Tennants Auctioneers’ Coins and Banknotes Sale on 6^th May for £5,000 (plus buyer’s premium).

 The vendor of the medal had discovered it in a group of medals dating from the 18^th to the 20^th century at a car boot sale in West Yorkshire and paid just £25 for the box. Having an inkling the James Cook medal was special, he took it to Tennants, where he discovered its rarity.

 Tennants’ Coin Specialist Will Dobbins says of the sale: “We are delighted that such a rare medal is heading for a new home in the Captain Cook Museum, where it will be exhibited alongside rare and fascinating material to celebrate the anniversary of such a key figure in British history.”

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