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V11 2008 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 11, Number 39, September 28, 2008, Article 14

WHEN IS BOIS DURCI NOT BOIS DURCI?

For the benefit of our new subscribers, I'll provide some background here. In earlier issues we discussed a material called Bois Durci (meaning "hardened wood") which had been used to create medals that look very similar to bronze.

Philip Mernick writes:
Actually, the Bois Durci plaque in the September 14 issue is not Bois Durci. The weight at more than half a kilo gives it away. It is as the auctioneer says, bronze or more likely brass. It is a copy in metal of a Bois Durci plaque.

I don't know who made them or when but I have seen copies of several different plaques in brass and iron. They are usually fairly weakly moulded so presumably were derived from a Bois Durci plaque rather than the original dies. They use both sides of the plaque hence the "Bois Durci" wording on the back.

We have a pair of lead squeezes of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert that must have been taken from actual Bois Durci dies because they are so sharp.


Sherlock Holmes silhouette
It's always great to hear from our London friends. Thanks for straightening us out! Sherlock Holmes himself would have been puzzled over this one - fake bronze copied in real bronze.


Bois Durci Garibaldi Medal Obv Bois Durci Garibaldi Medal Rev


Bois Durci Garibaldi Medal Obv Closeup


Bois Durci Garibaldi Medal Rev Closeup




Wayne Homren, Editor

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