The original Milton Shield was designed by Morel-Ladeuil (1820-1888), a leading French designer who had exhibited at the 1852 Paris Fine Arts Exhibition. In 1859 he moved to England where he produced a series of massive exhibition pieces for the Birmingham firm Elkington & Co. Numerous electrotype copies were made and sold throughout the second half of the 19th Century. The original Milton Shield was made in silver and steel damascened in gold. The piece won a gold medal at the 1867 Paris exhibition and can now be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum.