103512 | FRANCE. Automobile-Club de France gilt silver Award Medal.

103512  |  FRANCE. Automobile-Club de France gilt silver Award Medal. Issued circa mid 20th century and awarded to "Soulat" (68mm, 125.24 g, 12h). By Jean-Baptiste Daniel-Dupuis at the Paris mint.

 

Seminude female holding torch and reclining right in horseless carriage, with wings on front wheel and being drawn among the clouds; 1894–1895 below // AUTOMOBILE • CLUB • DE • FRANCE / SOCIETE / D'ENCOURAGEMENT, central plaque embossed "SOULAT" and within decorative garnishing; gear below with garlanded oak and laurel branches. Edge: «cornucopia» 1 ARGENT.

 

Cf. Maier 117 (for a uniface plaque with a similar obverse design); MdP –; cf. Silich III, 978 (for a similar gilt silver example for a different awardee). Choice Mint State. Wondrous golden-yellow matte surfaces; only a few stray marks at the bottom of the reverse prevent a higher gem designation. Includes original case of issue. No doubt one of the finest examples of the type extant, and an excellent Beaux-Arts commemorative from the dawn of the automobile era.

 

The recipient(s) of this automotive medal is likely the Établissements Soulat, or the Soulat Family Company, which originated under patriarch Jean Soulat in the late 19th century. The company featured inventors who were pioneers in electromechanics, in important aspect especially as the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw electricity becoming a more dominant force in one's daily life.

 

Ex Richard Jewell Collection (acquired from Didier Dahirel).

 

Upload: 1 April 2026.