Rhodesia - Rare Silver `Bulawayo 1897 Railway Pass` Medallion

Rhodesia - Rare Silver 'Bulawayo 1897 Railway Pass' Medallion

This very early, rare solid silver and gilded medallion or badge is a lovely piece of early Rhodesiana. The medallion was produced to mark the opening of the Railway line from Mafeking, in South Africa to Bulawayo in Rhodesia, a very important occasion, as it was the first train to enter Rhodesia, and it arrived in Bulawayo on the 4^{th of} November 1897. This silver medal or badge was given to each guest upon their arrival in Bulawayo, and it then served as a 'Pass', admitting the bearer to all the events and functions organised by the celebration committee. The medallion or 'pass' is oval in shape with a large jump ring and made of sterling silver, then gilded. The front bears the arms of the 'British South Africa Company' with the words 'BULAWAYO  4^th NOV. 1897'. It is well made, with a nice weight and lovely detail. It measures 2,5cm x 3,5cm (4,4cm with jump ring) and weighs 11,7g.

Note: The final link of more than 500 miles from Mafeking in South Africa, north to Bulawayo, in Rhodesia, was completed on the 19^thof October 1897. Cecil Rhodes, who financed the project through the British South Africa Company, saw the final track laid at a rate of more than a mile a day. The line was officially opened on the 4^{th of} November1897, by Sir Alfred Milner, High Commissioner of the Cape Colony. Eight hundred guests arrived for the ceremony on four trains including five MPs from London and even the explorer Henry Morton Stanley. Queen Victoria sent a telegram congratulating the inhabitants on the completion of the railway to that place. The full length of the line from Cape Town to Bulawayo was 1,360 miles.

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