The Evolving Design of The Avicultural Society Medals

My latest medal purchase has raised a few questions.

Have the Avicultural Society’s breeding medals ever been reproduced when supplies ran out? If so, could the materials used have changed over time due to fluctuating costs or the availability of certain metals?

I ask because I’ve recently acquired a blank medal that is noticeably smaller, lighter, and made from a different metal than one I already own. That piece is an engraved medal awarded to W.E. Teschemaker for the rearing of Chamaepelia griseola. At first, I suspected the new medal might have been counterfeit, as a name appeared to have been sanded off, but it lacks any species inscription. On closer inspection, the difference in material and weight made me wonder whether it might have been a prototype.

Early Design

Mid-period Design

The current version of the medal being awarded in 2025 has been deliberately left blank on the reverse to allow for flexible use, whereas the original carried specific inscriptions of:

Awarded To
Members Name
For Rearing Young Of
Species Name
A Species 
Not Previously 
Bred In Captivity 
In the 
United Kingdom

Current Design

Fortunately, the Society’s former chairman confirmed that medals have indeed been recast several times over the years when fresh stock was needed. Old Avicultural Society magazines note that the medals were originally cast in bronze, and that both size and weight have varied with each batch. The earliest medals are significantly heavier and slightly larger than the mid-period design, though they share the same embossed wording. This latest design was cast from the last surviving sample of the previous batch. As there were no records of how, when, or where those earlier medals were produced, the Society had to start from scratch and source a new supplier.

When the previous chairman joined the Society in the 1980s, he recalled that it was being run by Harry Horswell and Mary Harvey, who owned a sculpture gallery. Presumably, they had good contacts for medal casting. It’s a bit surprising how lightweight those mid-period medals were, but the Society likely didn’t have much funding at the time. Perhaps my new addition was a prototype. Or maybe, during one of the reissues, there wasn’t a proper original to copy from, and that medal was simply the best available reference.