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Back to previous pageLOT 1979
Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
1858 A.D.
2 1/4 in. (7.15 grams, 56 mm).
Sheet bronze buckle plate with lateral integral hook; stamped design including a circular band enclosing a maritime scene with two sailing ships; band with legend 'Laying the Atlantic Cable'; collector's handwritten ticket. [No Reserve]
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the UK art market.
Property of a Berkshire, UK, gentleman collector.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
Laying a telegraphic cable beneath the Atlantic Ocean was among the 19th century's most remarkable technological achievements since it allowed messages to pass between North America and Europe in a matter of minutes, rather than the two weeks by steamship. A first attempt in 1858 was unsuccessful but two working cables were finally laid in July and September 1866 by a team of engineers, technicians and sailors, with two groups of financial backers involved and relying on help from the British and United States navies. HMS Agamemnon was deployed on this mission alongside USS Niagara. The occasion caused a great stir at the time and was commemorated in numerous works of art.
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