Awarded to those involved in Australia’s first major naval engagement, when the HMAS Sydney defeated Germany’s SMS Emden in the Cocos Islands in 1914, the Sydney-Emden Medal is a great Australian rarity. A military decoration with a history like no other, this is your chance to own a genuine, original example of this sought after First World War artefact.

Indicative of the acceptability of the coin in international trade, there were 6,429 Mexican Silver 8 Reales found on SMS Emden when defeated by HMAS Sydney. One thousand of those coins were given to William Kerr jewellers, with the company commissioned to produce the Sydney-Emden Medal. Adorning each Mexican silver dollar with the King’s Crown in unison with superb scrolls, the jewellers created one of the most memorable decorations in military history.

The coin itself bears the classic Mexican Eagle on the reverse and the Cap of Liberty with Sunrays design on the obverse, whilst the scrolls on the fitting above read; ‘NOV 1914’ and ‘HMAS.SYDNEY.SMS.EMDEN’. Those on board the Sydney at the time of the engagement received a medal, as did Cocos Islands staff, the Admiralty and several museums.

A genuine artefact from Australia’s first naval victory, the 1914 Sydney-Emden Medal is extremely rare. With a tiny number from the 1,000 original medals available to collectors, this key piece of Australian military memorabilia is seldom seen on the market, making this opportunity very important indeed.

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