The Birmingham Mechanics Institute was established in January 1826 and at the first meeting, in February of that year, President Richard Spooner was elected and over 200 members were subscribed. It existed for 'the Promotion of Knowledge among the Working Classes by means of Elementary Schools, a Library and Lectures on the different branches of Art and Science'.
Dated 1826, this commemorative medal carries on the obverse side the inscription 'Knowledge is Power' and a depiction of Apollo the god of light, and perhaps in this case 'enlightenment', reclining on an industrial landscape.