Garibaldi medallet – obverse
I’ve just been reading this post. Paol Soren is writing about place names around Ballarat, which he illustrates with photographs, including one showing a road sign saying Garibaldi. That was all I needed to reprint an article I wrote for the Numismatic Society of Nottinghamshire. I’m very lazy that way.
The first time I ever heard of Garibaldi was when I read Wind in the Willows around 60 years ago, and Mole, on revisiting his old home, was said to have a bust of him in his garden. In his lifetime, he was quite a famous personality. When he visited the UK in 1864, he was not allowed out of the capital, being regarded as a dangerous radical. The workers of Nottingham gave him an illuminated scroll, but they had to go to London to see him, as he was denied permission to visit Nottingham.
This is the smallest medallion in my collection, but one of the bigger figures from history. His home city was Nice At the time of his birth it was part of France, having been annexed by the French Republic in 1792 after 400 years as a possession of the Duchy of Savoy. It reverted to “Italy” in 1815, becoming part of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, before being returned to France as payment for the help of Napoleon III in helping to unify Italy.
Garibaldi medallet – reverse
Garibaldi was a leading figure in Italian unification. He fled after being condemned to death for his part in an abortive revolt in 1834 and spent 14 years abroad, fighting two wars in South America, before his return to Italy with his famous Red Shirts.
Traditional stories say the red shirts were meant for Argentinian butchers, but there is no evidence of Argentinian butchers ever wearing red shirts. It is possible that they were modelled on the red flannel shirts Garibaldi saw New York firemen wearing. What is more certain is that Nottingham Forest adopted Garibaldi Red as their club colour in 1865, and still use the colour, (and Garibaldi name), to this day. One of their old nicknames was The Garibaldi and the fan organisation set up in 2016 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the club is Forza Garibaldi. There was also an amateur football club called Nottingham Garibaldi and the name lives on today in Garibaldi School in Forest Town (named after a nearby plantation). For a time, red shirts became a popular fashion item in Europe and America.
Garibaldi medallet compared to a penny for size comparison
The medallion is 14mm in diameter and made of brass. They are sometimes found on watch chains, worn as fobs or charms, which is why most of them are pierced.
The Obverse design features a left-facing bust of Garibaldi with the words “Garibaldi ne a Nice le 4 Juillet 1807” (Garibaldi, born in Nice 3 July 1807) and the reverse has “Independence / Italienne/· + · ” within a wreath of laurels.
If you are wondering about the biscuits, yes Garibaldi Biscuits are named after him. They were launched in 1861 by Peek Frean’s, and although there were stories about them being based on the hard tack and wild berries eaten by the Red Shirts, it seems simply to have been a commercial decision to link the new biscuit to a commercially popular personality.
The famous Garibaldi biscuit
