Finland (Russia) Bronze Medal 1876 – Centennial of the Supreme Court in Vaasa – Alexander II (1855–1881)

56.88g. 51mm. UNC/UNC. 

Medalier: Lea Ahlborn (on obverse, LEA AHLBORN F. below the bust). 

Diakov 823.1. Ae - R1. 

Obv.: Right-facing bust of Emperor Alexander II within a circular inscription; engraver’s signature beneath the truncation. 

Inscription around: 

LEGUM ET CONSTITUTIONIS PATRIAE TUTOR AUGUSTUS . 

(August protector of the laws and constitution of the homeland). 

Below the truncation: 

LEA AHLBORN F. 

(Executed by Lea Ahlborn). 

Rev.: Six-line inscription within a wreath of oak branches. 

Inscription in field: 

IN MEMORIAM | SAECULI PRIMI | A FUNDATIONE | DICASTERII SUPREMI VASAEI | A . MDCCCLXXVI | D . XXVIII JUNII . 

(In memory of the first century since the foundation of the Supreme Court in Vaasa | 28 June 1876). 

This medal was issued in 1876 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Supreme Court (Hofrätt) in Vaasa (then Nikolainkaupunki), one of three such appellate courts in the Grand Duchy of Finland under Russian rule, alongside those in Åbo and Vyborg. The Vaasa Hofrätt served as the appellate instance for municipal and local courts, with jurisdiction extending over the Vaasa and Uleåborg provinces. The obverse was engraved by Lea Ahlborn, the first female court medallist in Sweden and one of the leading medallic artists of the 19th century.