A rare medal awarded to famous Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is heading to Canterbury Museum in New Zealand, despite efforts by the British government to keep it in the UK.
The Polar Medal, awarded to Shackleton in 1905 by King Edward VII, was secured by the Adson Trust, which purchased it in a private sale funded by a bequest left to the museum.
Former UK minister Stephen Parkinson had previously blocked the export of the medal, valued at £1.76 million, to give UK institutions a chance to keep it. However, the museum’s generous funding allowed the sale to proceed.
The medal celebrates Shackleton’s contributions to three major expeditions: the Discovery Expedition, the Nimrod Expedition, and the Endurance Expedition.
Canterbury Museum, which has strong ties to early Antarctic explorations, plans to display the medal in its Antarctic Gallery when the museum reopens in 2028 after a major redevelopment. The museum is known for housing one of the largest collections of Antarctic exploration artefacts in the Southern Hemisphere, including items from explorers like Shackleton and Captain Robert Falcon Scott.
