Today I picked up a token from a coin fair, a memento of the “Gigantic Wheel” from the Earl’s Court Exhibition of 1895. The inscription on the reverse boasts its grandeur: 284 feet in diameter, with 40 carriages, each cradling up to 30 souls. It must have been one heck of a sight—equal parts breathtaking and terrifying, a towering marvel against the summer sky.
This is why I love coins and medals. The wheel itself is long gone, but this humble token, purchased for just a few pounds, resurrects it for me. I’d never even heard of it before, yet now I can picture it vividly: those radiant summer days of 1901, Queen Victoria still reigning, the air alive with the brassy notes of park bands, and the delighted cries of riders spinning high above. The sun glints off the wheel’s frame, warm breezes carry laughter, and for a moment, I’m there—lost in the carefree joy of a bygone era.
Isn’t it incredible what a simple token can do? And all for just a few quid too!
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