Aust. Historical Medals

Lot 901    SESSION 4 (4.30PM MONDAY 30TH AUGUST)    Aust. Historical Medals

Estimate $150
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $140

ADELAIDE JUBILEE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1887, For Services, in bronze (75mm) (C.1887/6), by E.A.Altmann, Melbourne, unnamed and in case of issue with Exhibition name gold blocked on lid and on the lid lining is gold blocked, 'M.J.Hammond. J.P.'. The medal heavily toned, otherwise extremely fine.

M.J.Hammond was a member of the New South Wales Commission for the Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition.

Mark John Hammond was a gold miner and later a politician. He was born on 15 November 1844 in Sydney and attended school at Newtown. The family then moved to the goldfields and after various moves and ventures he finally struck it rich in 1872 with the discovery of the world's greatest specimen of reef gold. As a result in June 1873 he was wealthy enough to retire to Sydney. On 24 September 1878 he was elected an alderman of Ashfield municipality and mayor in 1882. He helped found the Municipal Association and became one of its vice-presidents. In 1884 he won the seat for Canterbury in the Legislative Assembly.

He was a most outspoken member of parliament on various topics. He retired in 1887 but was on the NSW Commission for the Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition. He went to England in 1889 and on his return he became vice-president of the Ashfield Bowling club and joined the Ashfield Horticultural Society. After Federation he was a strong supporter of Edward Barton in the Australian Democratic and Liberal Reform League. He died on 4 February 1908 from heart failure after having surfed at Manly Beach. He was buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Bathurst Cemetery.

See lot 1539 for military service medals to his grandson.