Rare winner's medal issued for shooting at the London 1908 Summer Olympics. Bronze, 33.5 mm, 19 gm, designed by Bertram Mackennel; manufactured by Vaughton & Sons, England. The front, inscribed, "Olympic Games, London 1908," features a victorious athlete being crowned with a laurel wreath by two seated females; the reverse depicts St. George, the patron saint of England, slaying a dragon as a goddess looks on. The rim is engraved with the name of the event, "Third Prize, Revolver Team (50 Yards)." This medal was awarded to a member of the British men’s shooting team, which placed third in the 50-yard team pistol event on July 11, 1908, finishing with a total of 1817 points behind second and first place winners Belgium (1863) and the United States (1914). The Great Britain team members were Jesse Wallingford, Geoffrey Coles, Henry Lynch-Staunton, and William Ellicott, the latter also winning a silver medal in the team single-shot running deer event. Great Britain dominated the Games with a total of 146 medals, far eclipsing second and third place nations the United States (47) and Sweden (25); Great Britain's top finish in the Olympic medal table marks the only instance the country has done so in its history. An exceptionally scarce winner's medal commemorating Great Britain's triumphant first outing as an Olympic host city.
