Copley medal received by Charles Lyell

Created by the Royal Mint at the request of the Royal Society.

Charles Lyell received the medal in 1858, "For his various researches and writings by which he has contributed to the advance of geology".

The medal is named after Sir Godfrey Copley FRS, a ‘gentleman scientist’ who donated £100 in trust to the Society upon his death in 1709. The prize winnings have grown substantially since the medals inception and now the silver gilt medal is awarded with a £25,000 prize for the winner.

It is awarded annually “for outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science�, and alternates between the physical and biological sciences.