Bronze. 41mm. 36.9 grams. The obverse features the arms of Queens university, with Saint Andrew’s cross and an open book at the centre. Left is a rose, followed clockwise by a pine tree, shamrock, and thistle. A ribbon below reads SAPIENTIA ET DOCTRINA STABILITAS. QUEENS UNIVERSITY is above, with KINGSTON / CANADA below. The reverse exhibits a laurel wreath around an open field ornately engraved GREEK / G.R. SHIBLEY M.A. / 1901.

R.W. McLachlan writes in Canadian Numismatics (1886):

Queen's College was founded by the Presbyterian body, and has been sustained and endowed by collections through the churches. It was incorporated and made a University in 1841. A number of friends of the institution contributed sums of money to be devoted to the purchase of gold medals to be given for competition in the different classes dies were therefore ordered in 1877 from the Messrs. Wyon, from which these medals have been struck.

McLachlan rated the medal as R.5, while Leroux lists it as R.6. Although these rarity ratings are only so accurate, the Queens University medal is seldom offered, especially a named one like this.

This particular medal was awarded to Gervase Rae Shibley for Greek in 1901. Shibley would go on to serve as Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Canada under the first W.L.M King administration. He died in Ottawa on February 22, 1952 on his 73rd birthday, and is interred at Beechwood Cemetery. According to university records, Shibley placed in third in the running broad jump during the 1900 Queens Annual Games, and also won prizes for English and Latin in 1901 and 1902. He served as a tutor in Greek language studies in 1903. The medal survives in generally good condition, with strong detail and little rub. There are a few minor rim bumps, and each side shows evidence of PVC residue.