World Coins: British 1889 Commemorative Medal

A medal commemorating The Aluminium Company Limited London in 1889 marks a turning point in the history of this metal and its applications. At this time, aluminum transformed from an expensive material to an inexpensive metal that could be used commonly in construction and later in the manufacturing of coins and tokens.

Before the 1880s, aluminum was a very expensive metal. The process to produce the metal was difficult and the ingredients were expensive, resulting in a production cost that exceeded that of gold at times. Prior to the 1850s, the method to produce aluminum used potassium and anhydrous aluminum chloride. Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville of France discovered a way to substitute potassium for sodium, which was significantly cheaper. Hamilton Young Castner was an American who experimented with aluminum manufacturing in England and developed a process to produce aluminum that was 99.5% pure. In 1887 aluminum was trading for $15 a pound, but after The Aluminium Company began using the Deville-Castner process of producing purer, cheaper aluminum the market price fell to $5 a pound. As more aluminum was produced using this cheaper manufacturing method, the price dropped to $1 a pound by 1888.

In 1889, The Aluminium Company Limited London issued commemorative medals struck in aluminum produced using the Deville-Castner process. These medals featured Vulcan (the god of fire) seated at the furnace next to a female figure holding a lamp with the inscription “Labour Science Industry.” The other side was an advertisement for the manufacturers of the medal - The Aluminium Company Limited London. These medals were for the Exposition Universelle Worlds Fair in Paris, France during the year 1889.

British 1889 The Aluminium Company Limited London Issued Commemorative Medal Click images to enlarge.

The aluminum manufacturing process that these medals commemorate is what brought about a crash in the price of aluminum, allowing it to become a common metal utilized in construction and in circulating coins and tokens. Today the medals are available and often overlooked for their historical significance in advertising and in changing the world by introducing cheaper and purer aluminum.