Category Archives: Dr. John H. Watson

“Now, these are a really very fine series of portraits.”

– The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOUN)

Back in February, we reported the the Windsor Mint had produced a Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Medal. Within the past week, they have announced five additional medals with Sherlockian themed designs. We are sharing all six designs here, starting with the design we discussed in February

All six designs have a portion of Sir Arthur Conan’s Doyle’s handwritten manuscript of The Adventure of the Three Students, specifically two of the opening paragraphs:

Things had indeed been very slow with us, and I had learned to dread such periods of inaction, for I knew by experience that my companion’s brain was so abnormally active that it was dangerous to leave it without material upon which to work.  For years I had gradually weaned him from that drug mania which had threatened once to check his remarkable career.

Now I knew that under ordinary conditions he no longer craved for this artificial stimulus; but I was well aware that the fiend was not dead, but sleeping; and I have known that the sleep was a light one and the waking near when in periods of idleness I have seen the drawn look upon Holmes’s ascetic face, and the brooding of his deep-set and inscrutable eyes.

All six medals feature the same reverse design. Once again, a portion of Doyle’s handwritten manuscript appears in the background of Holmes’ silhouette, this time from the The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter:

Please await me.  Terrible misfortune.  Right wing three-quarter missing. Indispensable to-morrow. OVERTON

‘Strand postmark, and despatched ten thirty-six,’ said Holmes, reading it over and over.  ‘Mr. Overton was evidently considerably excited when he sent it, and somewhat incoherent in consequence.  Well, well, he will be here, I dare say, by the time I have looked through The Times, and then we shall know all about it.  Even the most insignificant problem would be welcome in these stagnant days.’

Things had indeed been very slow with us, and I had learned to dread such periods of inaction, for I knew by experience that my companion’s brain was so abnormally active that it was dangerous to leave it without material upon which to work.  For years I had gradually weaned him from that drug mania which had threatened once to check his remarkable career.  Now I knew that under ordinary conditions he no longer craved for this artificial stimulus; but I was well aware that the fiend was not dead, but sleeping; and I have known that the sleep was a light one and the waking near when in periods of idleness I have seen the drawn look upon Holmes’s ascetic face, and the brooding of his deep-set and inscrutable eyes.  Therefore I blessed this Mr. Overton, whoever he might be, since he had come with his enigmatic message to break that dangerous calm which brought more peril to my friend than all the storms of his tempestuous life.

When the one medal only was available in February, it was priced at £10 Now, with six medals and a “presentation holder” the set is priced at £149.50. Each 24 karat gold-plated copper medal is 50 mm diameter and weighs 54g. Struck in proof condition, the medals are limited to 9,999 sets.

Details can be found at the Windsor Mint website. Now the bad news – they only ship within Europe.