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Napoleon Bonaparte Coins on the Anniversary of Waterloo


LONGINUS

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18 minutes ago, Alegandron said:

Nice coin medal @LONGINUS!

I reckon I have to post mine again, but this IS the appropriate Thread!

Great—thanks for re-posting. When I mentioned Napoleon yesterday on your Usurper thread, I had totally forgotten that today is June 18. When I realized this morning that it’s the 207th anniversary of the battle, I knew that I had to post my Napoleon coins. 

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Great coins and topic!

Here are a few favs:

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Napoleonic medals NAPOLEONE BONAPARTE Napoleon period, from 1795 to 1815. Medal 1807. Gr. 13.30 mm 31.5 Dr. NAPOLEON EMPEREUR ET ROI. Head graduate at S. Rv. PAIX ET COMMERCE. Mercury sitting towards d., on a stump, holds caduceus and emptying cornucopia; in exercise, 1807. Julius 1832. Rare. Spl
Ex: in Asta

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Napoleon I Emperor France, 1808W, Lille, crowned N within incuse wreath, rev. value and mint letter (KM.676; Gad.190), 

 

  IMG_0810(1).jpg.25eea964bcd83e24abba83469623ca6f.jpg

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7 minutes ago, TheTrachyEnjoyer said:

Wow! Whats the medal with ribbon and the bottom coin?

Great eye! That's my "modern fourré". There are coins of this type in bronze and silver. However, not this type in silver. You can see someone silvered this beauty. Updating post now:

Napoleonic medals NAPOLEONE BONAPARTE Napoleon period, from 1795 to 1815. Medal 1807. Gr. 13.30 mm 31.5 Dr. NAPOLEON EMPEREUR ET ROI. Head graduate at S. Rv. PAIX ET COMMERCE. Mercury sitting towards d., on a stump, holds caduceus and emptying cornucopia; in exercise, 1807. Julius 1832. Rare. Spl
Ex: in Asta

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I know I've posted them before, but how about a few of my Mudie medals? I won a couple more at the recent Noonan's auction, as well as a Napoleonic medal celebrating his entry into Moscow (that turned out well!), and will post them after they arrive. But here are three directly relating to Napoleon himself and/or to Waterloo:

Mudie 32, Napoleon's Flight from Elba / Congress of Vienna:

Great Britain, Napoleon's Flight from Elba/Congress of Vienna, 1815 (struck 1820). Obv. French eagle with thunderbolt (symbolizing Napoleon) approaches the French coast, Isle of Elba in background, to left TEMPLUM. JANI (Temple of Janus), with four-sided Janus on corner of roof, its doors lying broken (symbolizing the breaking of peace). In exergue: XXVI. FEBRUARY MDCCCXV. / Rev. Mercury, displaying a scroll inscribed TO ARMS, flying over globe carrying the news of Napoleon's flight, DECLARATION OF THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA. In exergue: XIII MARCH. By N.G.A. Brenet/ A.J. Depaulis. AE 41 mm., 41.8 g. Mudie 32, Eimer 1064, BHM 869, Bramsen 1597.

image.jpeg.4a563ded9eefdef918f4cf90cc3baddb.jpeg

Mudie 34

Great Britain, Battle of Waterloo medal, 1815 (Struck 1820). Obv. Bust r. HENRY WILLIAM MARQUIS OF ANGLESEY. Rev. Equestrian figure of Anglesey l., leading a cavalry charge. CHARGE OF THE BRITISH AT WATERLOO. Ex. JUNE XVIII. MDCCCXV. AE 41 mm. By G. Mills/ A.J. Depaulis. Mudie 34, Eimer 1069, BHM 859.

COMBINED Mudie 34 Charge at Waterloo (obv 3 & rev 1).jpg

Mudie 37, Surrender of Napoleon to HMS Bellerephon (my only Mudie medal in silver):

Great Britain, Surrender of Napoleon, 1815 (struck 1820). Obv. Bust of Napoleon right, uniformed; NAPOLEON BONAPARTE; signature below / Rev. British man of war Bellerophon, in full sail, with Imperial Eagle on flag staff; Napoleon stands on quarterdeck with right hand inside coat; another ship beyond; SURRENDERED TO H.B.M.S. BELLEROPHON CAPT. MAITLAND. Exergue: XV JULY. MDCCCXV; signatures below. By T. Webb/N.G.A Brenet. AR 41 mm., 38.8 g. Eimer 1078, Mudie 37, BHM 884, Bramsen 1691. Purchased at Spink Auction 136, Oct. 7, 1999, Lot 992.

Napoleon-Bellerephon (Mudie 37) Obv 2.jpg

Napoleon-Bellerephon (Mudie 37) Rev. 1.jpg

I have Napoleon's coronation medal, in bronze, but haven't photgraphed it yet.

Here's an interesting Napoleonic medal commemorating his conquest of Upper Egypt, together with my detailed write-up from the other place:

France, Directorate, AE Conquest of Upper Egypt, An 7 (1798), Napoleon Bonaparte as Général de l'armée d'Orient (struck 1806  after Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor*), Paris Mint. Artist: André Galle, under director Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon. Obv. Bust of Memnon (after the “Colossi of Memnon” in Luxor [ancient Thebes] in Upper Egypt, which actually depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III) or Isis** left, wearing wearing nemes [royal striped headdress] with uraeus [sacred cobra, worn by deities and pharaohs] at forehead, no beard, CONQUÊTE DE LA - HAUTE EGYPTE. around from 7:00, GALLE F. [fecit] beneath truncation, AN VII. below bust / Rev. Crocodile left chained to palm tree behind with wide spreading branches,*** GALLE on ground line to right; in exergue, DENON DIREXIT. 35 mm., 20.89 g., 12 h. Laskey IX at p. 18 [Capt. J.C. Laskey, A Description of the Series of Medals Struck at the National Medal Mint by Order of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1818)]; Millin & Millingen 19 at p. 9 [Aubin Louis Millin de Grandmaison & James Millingen, Medallic History of Napoleon (London 1819)]; Scargill 4 at p. 7 [Ann Mudie Scargill, Medallic History of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1820)]; Hennin 896 at p. 688 [Michel Hennin, Histoire numismatique de la révolution française . . . depuis l'ouverture des Etats-généraux jusqu'à l'établissement du gouvernement consulaire (Paris 1826)]; Julius 694 at p. 43 [Sammlung Dr. [Paul] Julius, Heidelberg: Französische Revolution Napoleon I. und seine Zeit : Medaillen, Orden und Ehrenzeichen, Münzen (Auktion 11 Jan. 1932, Otto Helbing Nachf., München, Auktions-Katalog 66) (available at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=514029&AuctionId=534684] [see David Block, “Books about Napoleonic Medals,” Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 19, No. 12 (1985), pp. 365-368 at p. 368, available at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/522907?page=21: “This sale did not take place; the Julius Collection was not sold until 1959”).**** Purchased from Germania Inferior Numismatics.

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*See Richard A. Todd, Napoleon’s Medals: Victory to the Arts (The History Press, UK, 2009) at p. 22, pointing out that “[t]hough dated 1798, the medal was not struck until 1806.” (And could not possibly have been struck contemporaneously, given the presence of the DENON DIREXIT legend: Denon was appointed Director of the Mint only in September of 1803; see id. p. 15.) As the author further explains at pp. 78-79 of his book, the Egyptian Campaign “produced no immediate medallions except in England. Bonaparte was completely cut off from his European base. The English, on the other hand, had both the means and the incentive to produce a number of medals celebrating their victory. It is surprising that even after Bonaparte’s return to France and consolidation of power as first Consul, and given his enthusiasm for what he regarded as the great achievement of his Egyptian conquests, the Egyptian medals were so long in coming. Of course the recovery of northern Italy was Bonaparte’s first concern, and then there were the medals to celebrate the victory at Marengo. The delay in producing the Egyptian medals was not due to lack of interest on Napoleon’s part, however. [Citing his letter dated 6 September 1800 ordering six medals for the Egyptian campaign, including one for the conquest of Upper Egypt, and another letter dated 9 Jan. 1801 asking for a report on the medals that had been requested.] The three Egyptian medals eventually produced were the Conquest of Upper Egypt (1806), the Conquest of Egypt (1808), and the Conquest of Lower Egypt (1810)” (with a reverse showing the Pyramids).

See also the chapter by the late David Block (1926-2002) entitled “The Egyptian Campaign,” in his now-defunct online “Medallic History of Napoleon” (still available on the Internet Archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20120204070433/http://fortiter.napoleonicmedals.org/medals/index.html), explaining that the Napoleonic medals on the subject of Egypt were “not designed and struck until a few years after that campaign, when the medal mint was reestablished and Vivant Denon was appointed its director. A law had been created in France under the monarchy that made medal-making a state monopoly. Individuals could prepare dies but the striking had to be done at a government mint. This law, in abeyance during the revolution, was enforced again when Napoleon was ruling France.”

**The substantial majority of catalogs and auction house descriptions (except for Block and Todd, cited at the end of this footnote) identify the bust on the obverse as that of Isis. However, the Laskey book – the very first catalog of Napoleonic medals, published in 1818, supposedly based on “the French Medal Mint List” (see Block, op. cit. at p. 365) – identifies the bust as “Memnon.” Compare Laskey p. 18 (“a
bust of the antique statue of Memnon. On the top of the head lies a snake uncoiled, erecting his head in the front”) with Millin & Millingen p. 9 (“Head of Isis”); Scargill p. 7 (“on one side, the head of Isis, an Eyptian divinity of the earliest worship in that country, and whose origin is lost in the mist of ages”); Julius (Otto Helbing Nachf.) p. 43 (“Isiskopf links”). Hennin does not appear to identify the obverse bust. All four auction descriptions found for this medal type on ACSearch also identify the obverse bust as Isis, albeit without citation or explanation. In fact, not one of the sources identifying the obverse bust with Isis attempts to explain the basis for that identification, except for the fact that previous sources did so back to Millin & Millingen in 1819.

I would argue that there is no reasonable basis for identifying the obverse bust on this medal as Isis, who had no particular association with Upper Egypt (to the contrary, her worship spread from the Delta in Lower Egypt), and who was certainly not usually portrayed wearing the headdress of a pharaoh or male deity, i.e., the nemes with uraeus. Not to mention that there is nothing feminine about the face of the figure portrayed, even though it is admittedly beardless, and French coins and medals of the 18th and 19th centuries were hardly known for being ambiguous in portraying female figures.

By contrast, there is every reason to identify the obverse bust with “Memnon,” specifically, as Laskey recognized, with a famous statue (one of the “Colossi of Memnon”) that was still generally thought at the time to represent Memnon (based on the Greek and Roman identification of the statue as such), and was directly associated with its location in Thebes in Upper Egypt. See the Wikipedia article on the Colossi of Memnon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossi_of_Memnon), explaining that the “Colossi,” although actually constructed in the 14th century BCE to represent the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and stand guard at his mortuary temple, were commonly identified since Greek and Roman times with Memnon: “Memnon was a hero of the Trojan War, a King of Ethiopia who led his armies from Africa into Asia Minor to help defend the beleaguered city but was ultimately slain by Achilles. Memnon (whose name means the Steadfast or Resolute was said to be the son of Eos, the goddess of dawn]. He was associated with [the colossi] . . . because of the reported cry at dawn of the northern statue . . ., which became known as the Colossus of Memnon.”

I believe that it is unlikely to be a coincidence that the engravings that one of the artists accompanying Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition in 1798 did of one of the Colossi of Memnon as it would look if “reconstructed” so strongly resemble the obverse figure on this medal. See the right-hand figure in this detail, showing the statue’s left profile:

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See https://www.paralosgallery.com/stock_detail.php?stockid=1976, reproducing the complete engraving (Vol. II Pl. 21) and describing it as follows:

“Charles Louis Fleury Panckoucke, Details of the Southern Colossos of Memnon, Thebes. ‘Details de Colosse du Sud,_Thèbes, Memnonium.’ Paris Impremerie de C.L.F.Pancoucke 1820-1829. Copper engraving showing one of the Colossi of Mnemnon, Thebes from the second volume of the "Antiquities "of the "Description de l'Egypte," 2nd Edition; black & white; verso blank. . . .

The image shows the statue from three sides, and in a reconstructed condition. The statue depicts Amenhotep III (fl. 14th century BC) in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and his gaze facing eastwards towards the river. . . .

‘Description de l'Egypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Egypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française.’

When Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798, he brought with him an entourage of more than 160 scholars and scientists. Known as the French Commission on the Sciences and Arts of Egypt, these experts undertook an extensive survey of the country's archeology, topography, and natural history. For four years more than 150 artists, engineers, linguists, and scientists traveled throughout the country, examining almost every aspect of ancient and contemporary Egypt. They recorded and measured in meticulous detail Egypt's topography, flora and fauna, and its ancient and contemporary architecture. A soldier who was part of the expedition found the famous Rosetta Stone, which the French linguist and scholar Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832) later used to unlock many of the mysteries that long had surrounded the language of ancient Egypt. . . .

In 1802 Napoleon authorized the publication of the commission's findings in a monumental, multi-volume work that included plates, maps, scholarly essays, and a detailed index. Publication of the original Imperial edition began in 1809 and continued to 1822, sold by subscription.

It proved so popular that a second edition was published under the post-Napoleonic Bourbon Restoration. The ‘Royal edition’ published in Paris by C.L.F. Panckoucke from 1820-1830.”

It seems entirely possible that the designers of this medal had access to engravings or prints of the Colossi of Memnon similar or identical to those published a few years later in the first edition of the Napoleonic commission’s findings. As Laskey may have had when he wrote his book published in 1818, identifying the obverse figure with the statue of Memnon.  Indeed, Baron Denon, who was the Director of the Mint when this medal was issued and was named on the medal ("DENON DIREXIT"), was himself one of the scholars, artists, and scientists who accompanied Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt (see Todd p. 34).

The absence of a false beard from the medal, by contrast to the engraving, is not enough to dilute the resemblance, or to support an identification with Isis absent any other basis for such an identification that I know of. Especially given that the very next engraving of one of the Colossi in the publication of Napoleon’s expedition, this one in right profile (Thèbes. Memnonium. / Détails de la Statue Colossalle de Memnon. A(ntiquités). Vol. II. Pl. 22), shows no beard:

upload_2022-4-21_22-14-3.jpeg

See https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30861960269&cm_mmc=ggl-_-COM_Shopp_Rare-_-product_id=bi: 30861960269-_-keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgYSTBhDKARIsAB8KukvMJQYAViDHKiBdxes5-L_iqTzC86tAQMKvdX4jtgNmdWcKCr8VcuAaAuFgEALw_wcB (“Original uncoloured copper engraving (plate mark 45 x 62 cm, overall sheet size 53.5 x 69.5 cm) by Cain after the drawing by Jollois and Devilliers from volume 2 of the Description de l'Égypte (2nd edition). . . . The Description de l'Égypte was the first scientific survey of all Egypt, from its antiquities to its agriculture including language, music, costume, and natural history, and it concludes with a detailed and accurate map of the region. The numerous plates depicting the antiquities provide a comprehensive record of the richness of ancient Egyptian culture. At the time of publication, the Description de l'Égypte was the largest printed work ever produced.”)

Finally, although auction houses and dealers have continued almost uniformly to identify the obverse bust as Isis, at least two authorities in this century have rejected that identification (although neither specifically identified the bust as Memnon/Amenhotep III). First, the late David Block, a well-known collector of Napoleonic medals who used the name “fortiter” on his now-defunct website (still accessible on the Internet Archive at the link cited above), described the obverse as follows: “The head of an Egyptian pharaoh, facing left. (In all the older books this is called Isis, but in Egyptian iconography Isis wears cow's horns and a lunar disc on her head, while here we see the uraeus crown of upper Egypt.)” Second, at p. 79 of his 2009 book Napoleon’s Medals, Richard A. Todd states that “[t]he medal for the conquest of Upper Egypt has the head of a Pharaoh, for years misidentified as Isis.”


***Although none of the auction descriptions of this medal found on ACSearch make note of the resemblance, it has long been generally accepted that the reverse design was modeled on the chained crocodile depicted on the reverse of the “COL NEM” dupondius of Augustus and Agrippa (RIC I 158). See Millin & Millingen at p. 9 (“type copied from the ancient coins of Nismes, with the heads of Augustus and Agrippa”); Scargill at p. 7 (“This type is imitated from a medal struck at Nismes, when the Roman Legions, came to occupy that province after the conquest of Egypt.”)

**** N.B. This medal is not in Bramsen [Ludvig Ernst Bramsen, Médaillier Napoléon le Grand, ou, Description des médailles, clichés, repoussés, et médailles-décorations relatives aux affaires de la France pendant le consulat et l'empire, Vols I-III (Copenhagen 1904-1913), available at Newman Numismatic Portal], which begins its coverage in 1799 with the fall of the Directory and the beginning of the Consulate, i.e., immediately after Hennin's coverage ends.

 

Edited by DonnaML
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Those medals really are impressive and a nice size too.

I’m also fascinated by the era, and collect George III. I’ve visited the pyramid at Waterloo a couple of times (the one that ‘ruined’ Wellington’s battlefield), although it’s actually in Braine-l'Alleud. But ‘Braine-l'Alleud Sunset’ doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Even though I don’t collect French coins I had to have one of Napoleon. This one was struck not far from Waterloo.

French Republic (First French Empire) Franc, 1808

B7610264-7346-4835-97F2-3C2C8B8A4894.jpeg.e35b6505d44d57491f346982e6b2b75b.jpeg
Lille. Silver, 4.98g. Napoleon, laureate, right. Denomination within wreath; mintmark W (KM 682.14)

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Great examples posted!

Here's my 5 francs, 1815, the "Hundred Days":

Napoleon Bonaparte, 5 francs, 1815 B (Rouen)

962485574_D-CameraNapoleonBonapart5francs1815BRouen100daysKarl2-10-22.jpg.0960c5a649106b40fe7f7a2ba263ec87.jpg

 

Also, the Guardian ran an interesting article yesterday on archeological research at Waterloo:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/18/mystery-of-waterloos-dead-soldiers-to-be-re-examined-by-academics

 

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As promised, here's my new Napoleonic medal (with my write-up), commemorating an event that started well, but didn't end that way!

France, AE Medal, First Empire, Entry into Moscow, 1812. Artists: B. Andrieu & N. Brenet. Obv. Laureate head of Napoleon right, NAPOLEON – EMP. ET ROI.; on bust truncation, ANDRIEU F. / Rev. View of fortifications and gateway of Moscow with Kremlin buildings, etc.; French eagle atop standard planted on walls to left of center; French tricolor on top of highest  spire at center; ENTRÉE A – MOSCOU above; in exergue in two lines, XIV. SEPTEMBRE | MDCCCXII. 41 mm., 38.5 g.  Bramsen 1164 [Ludvig Ernst Bramsen, Médaillier Napoléon le Grandou, Description des médailles, clichés, repoussés, et médailles-décorations relatives aux affaires de la France pendant le consulat et l'empire, Vol. II, 1810-1815 at p. 35 (Copenhagen 1907), available at Newman Numismatic Portal]; Laskey CXXVII at p. 204 [Capt. J.C. Laskey, A Description of the Series of Medals Struck at the National Medal Mint by Order of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1818), available on Google Books]; Millin & Millingen 276 at p. 92 (ill. Pl. LI) [Aubin Louis Millin de Grandmaison & James Millingen, Medallic History of Napoleon (London 1819), available on Google Books]; Scargill 94 at p. 126 [Ann Mudie Scargill, Medallic History of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1820), available on Google Books]; Julius 2533 at p. 153 [Sammlung Dr. [Paul] Julius, Heidelberg: Französische Revolution Napoleon I. und seine Zeit : Medaillen, Orden und Ehrenzeichen, Münzen (Auktion 11 Jan. 1932, Otto Helbing Nachf., München, Auktions-Katalog 66), available at Newman Numismatic Portal (This sale did not take place; the Julius Collection was not sold until 1959)]; St. James’s Auctions, 3 Oct. 2011, Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1149 (ill. at p. 44) [not my specimen; cited for illustrative purposes]. Purchased from Noonans Auction 256, 15 Jun 2022, Lot 321 [with description “Some edge knocks and bruises, otherwise extremely fine”]; ex Coincraft, London (with undated Coincraft ticket).image.png.61eb52b1821e2e209564069afde51e59.png

Edited by DonnaML
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In addition to the medals I've posted on this thread -- including various British Mudie medals on the subject of the Napoleonic Wars, and the French Napoleonic medals commemorating the Conquest of Upper Egypt and the Entry into Moscow -- as well as the French medal issued for the Peace of Luneville, with a reverse taken from depictions of Pax on ancient Roman coins, posted in another thread, I have a few other Napoleonic medals that I bought (either on Ebay or at Paul J. Bosco's store) more than 20 years ago. I recently found them in an old box, along with a small number of old Louis XIV & XV medals, and have started the process of photographing them and writing them up.  Here's the first: an example in bronze of Napoleon's coronation medal. It's not in great shape, with a number of minor scratches and some noticeable "edge knocks," but I don't think it's terrible, either!  

France, AE Medal, First Empire, Coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte, 2 Dec. 1804. Artists: Jean-Bertrand Andrieu, Romain-Vincent Jeuffroy, and Dominique-Vivant Denon. (Signed under bust truncation in two lines: DENON DIR. | ANDRIEU F. [Fecit]; signed in reverse exergue beneath year: DENON DIR. - JEUFFROY F. [Fecit].)  Obv. Laureate head of Napoleon right, NAPOLEON - EMPEREUR / Rev. Napoleon, wearing imperial robes, holding long eagle-tipped scepter in right hand and wearing the sword of Charlemagne on his left side, stands facing on shield held aloft by Roman Senator to left and French farmer-soldier to right, wearing sword. Behind Roman Senator in left field an open book reads “LOIS, LOIS” [“Laws, Laws”]; behind farmer-soldier in right field is a plowshare (which he has put aside for the sword he now wears). Above, LE SENAT – ET LE PEUPLE; in exergue, AN XIII [1804/1805]. Bramsen 326 [Ludvig Ernst Bramsen, Médaillier Napoléon le Grandou, Description des médailles, clichés, repoussés, et médailles-décorations relatives aux affaires de la France pendant le consulat et l'empire, Vol. I, 1799-1809, at p. 55 (Copenhagen 1904), available at Neuman Numismatic Portal]; Laskey XXXVIII at p. 75 [Capt. J.C. Laskey, A Description of the Series of Medals Struck at the National Medal Mint by Order of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1818), available on Google Books]; Millin & Millingen 83 at p. 32 (ill. Pl. XXXII) [Aubin Louis Millin de Grandmaison & James Millingen, Medallic History of Napoleon (London 1819), available on Google Books]; Julius 1260 at p. 79 [Sammlung Dr. [Paul] Julius, Heidelberg: Französische Revolution Napoleon I. und seine Zeit : Medaillen, Orden und Ehrenzeichen, Münzen (Auktion 11 Jan. 1932, Otto Helbing Nachf., München, Auktions-Katalog 66), available at Newman Numismatic Portal (this sale did not take place; the Julius Collection was not sold until 1959)]; Todd pp. 107-108 (ill. p. 108) [Richard A. Todd, Napoleon’s Medals: Victory to the Arts (The History Press, UK, 2009)]; St. James’s Auctions, 3 Oct. 2011, Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1071.1 at p. 19 [not my specimen]. 40 mm., 31.1 g.*

 image.jpeg.703ccba216653facfd89951b1bd47166.jpeg

*The depiction of Napoleon raised on a shield at his coronation reflects “an old Frankish custom reported of Clovis, the founder of the Merovingian kingdom.” (Todd. p. 107.) Regarding the sword of Charlemagne, see id. p. 114 n. 1: “Napoleon had taken the sword from Charlemagne’s tomb at Aix-la-Chapelle. General Count de Ségur, Memoirs of an Aide-de-Camp of Napoleon 1800-1812, revised by his grandson, trans. by H.A. Patchett-Martin. New York, 1895, p. 136.”

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The second of the four additional Napoleonic medals I found, all purchased 20+ years ago, now with a photo and write-up. This one is actually an Italian medal.

image.jpeg.904aa74e3467957203d16b5927f4ba7c.jpeg

France, AE Medal, First Empire, Battle of Jena, Milan Mint 1806. Artist: Luigi Manfredini (initials “L.M.” on obverse neck truncation). Obv. Bust of Napoleon right wearing iron crown with laurel wreath around it; around, NAPOLEO GALL. IMP. ITAL. REX. GERM. RVTH. BORVSSICVS; beneath bust in two lines, MEDIOLANI [MILAN]/ MDCCCVI / Rev. Napoleon as Jupiter, holding thunderbolt aloft in right hand and scepter in left, seated facing three-quarters right, legs “side-saddle” to left, upon an eagle with body facing, wings spread, and beak right, grasping a large thunderbolt while crouched upon it; around, SAXONIA LIBERATA BORVSSIS DELETIS [“Saxony liberated; the Prussians destroyed”]; below eagle, IENAE [Jena]. 40 mm., 44.6 g. Bramsen I 539 [Ludvig Ernst Bramsen, Médaillier Napoléon le Grand, ou, Description des médailles, clichés, repoussés, et médailles-décorations relatives aux affaires de la France pendant le consulat et l'empire, Vol. I, 1799-1809, at pp. 88-89 (Copenhagen 1904), available at Neuman Numismatic Portal]; Millin & Millingen 204 at p. 70 (ill. Pl. XL) [Aubin Louis Millin de Grandmaison & James Millingen, Medallic History of Napoleon (London 1819), available on Google Books]; Julius 1599 at p. 98 [Sammlung Dr. [Paul] Julius, Heidelberg: Französische Revolution Napoleon I. und seine Zeit : Medaillen, Orden und Ehrenzeichen, Münzen (Auktion 11 Jan. 1932, Otto Helbing Nachf., München, Auktions-Katalog 66), available at Newman Numismatic Portal]; St. James’s Auctions, 3 Oct. 2011, Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1104.2 at p. 30 (ill.) [not my specimen]; Laskey, __; Scargill, __.

Jupiter doesn't look all that comfortable to me riding the eagle that way. Not to mention that he might fall off. I think he needs a bigger eagle next time! 

Photos of the other two medals are forthcoming.

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Next, Napoleon's Entry into Madrid, 1808. (Full citations not repeated where set forth in previous post.)

France, AE Medal, First Empire, Entry into Madrid, 1808. Artists: Jean-Bertrand Andrieu, N.G.A. Brenet, and Dominique-Vivant Denon (ANDRIEU F. on obverse neck truncation; on reverse, BRENET. F. to lower left and DENON. D. to lower right). Obv. Laureate head right, NAPOLEON - EMP. ET ROI. around / Rev. Facade of the Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid; above, PORTE DE ALCALA; in exergue in three lines, ENTRÉE DES FRANÇAIS A MADRID | LE IV. DECEMBRE | MDCCCVIII. 40 mm., 33.86 g. Bramsen I 757 at p. 123; Laskey XCVII at p. 157 [Capt. J.C. Laskey, A Description of the Series of Medals Struck at the National Medal Mint by Order of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1818), available on Google Books]; Millin & Millingen 234 at p. 79 (ill. Pl. XLII); Julius 1946 at p. 119 (example in silver); Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1120.2 at p. 35 (ill.).*

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*One of only two Napoleonic medals issued by the French for the war in Spain, along with the medal celebrating the destruction of the Inquisition. (Compare with the huge numbers issued by the British.) See the discussion of this medal in the article by Marc Gerstein entitled “'We have outrages to avenge': Napoleonic Medals of the War in Spain,” published in Napoleonica. The Review 2011/1 (N°10), pp. 49-65, available at https://www.cairn.info/revue-napoleonica-la-revue-2011-1-page-49.htm :

 “The recapture of Madrid was a principal, announced objective of Napoleon's campaign to crush the Spanish insurgency and restore Joseph to his throne. It was charged as well with the heavy symbolic value of vengeance for Bailén, Vimeiro, and other recent reverses, and of eradicating the stain on French honor that they had left. As he had announced in his published proclamation to his troops before his departure for Spain: 'LÀ AUSO WE HAVE OUTRAGES TO VENGE'. 

The surrender of Madrid could stand for the conquest and pacification of Spain, not yet achieved but that would follow quickly and inevitably. And it was yet another European capital that had submitted to him. 

Denon's idea for this medal was clearly stated in his January 18 letter: a view of the 'Porte d'Alcala in Madrid. This monument can be used on the reverse of a medal which will consecrate the capture of Madrid' (figure 5). The Alcala Gate, erected in the 18th century, was a symbol of the city and it was the gate through which the French army had entered Madrid on December 4, 1808. By February 28, 1809, only weeks after Denon's return to Paris from Spain, a finished drawing by Jean-Baptiste Lepère (1761-1844), following Denon's 'croquis’ [sketch], had been delivered and the artist paid. The speed with which this drawing was produced was doubtlessly facilitated by Denon's 'croquis' but also by Lepère's previous design for a medal commemorating Napoleon's entry into Berlin in 1806 (figure 6). The shallow frontal view of the Alcala Gate consciously and clearly references the earlier medal's view of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Denon would use the same idea again for the entrance into Vienna in 1809,  explicitly linking the three conquests of great European states and implying that more would follow, with peace, security, and prosperity as their reward. 

Denon assigned Lepère's drawing to the engraver Nicolas Brenet (1773-1846), who delivered the die by December 15, 1809, in what was relatively brief time for this demanding work. The medal was struck by the Monnaie des Médailles with the legend 'PORTE DE ALCALA' and the exergue 'ENTRÉE DES FRANÇAIS A MADRID / LE IV. DECEMBRE / MDCCCVIII', and with a laurelled bust of Napoleon, 'Empereur et Roi', by Bertrand Andrieu (1761-1822) on the obverse. Its first sale, in gold, was recorded on October 18, 1810, nearly two years after the fall of Madrid. By this time, Napoleon's prospects in Spain were becoming increasingly unclear.”

 

Edited by DonnaML
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Finally, a Napoleon in Elba medal, issued after his escape but (presumably) before Waterloo -- I doubt he would still have been given the title "Empereur et Roi" in an original Paris Mint medal issued after Waterloo and the Bourbon restoration.

There's an unusual astrological element in the design.

Again, citations given in full above are abbreviated here.

France, AE Medal, Napoleon’s Stay in Elba 1814-1815 [according to Bramsen II at p. 102, issued ca. 1815]. Artists: N.G.A. Brenet & D. Denon (beneath bust truncation on obverse, BRENET F.; on lower right on reverse inside border, BRENET N. DENON D.). Obv. Uniformed bust of Napoleon right, bareheaded, NAPOLEON – EMP. ET ROI. / Rev. Fortune, semi-draped, seated on a cliff by the sea, her toes resting on her wheel on rocky seashore below, with her head turned right to look at eagle (representing France) standing on cliff next to her with beak left and wings closed*; around, SEJOUR A L'ILE D'ELBE - * [5-pointed star] MDCCCXIV. ET MDCCCXV; all surrounded by double border containing miniature depictions of 12 signs of zodiac. 41 mm., 34.3 g. Bramsen II 1583, p. 102; Julius 3272, p. 196; Scargill 116, p. 150 [Ann Mudie Scargill, Medallic History of Napoleon Bonaparte (London 1820), available on Google Books];  Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1161.1 at p. 48 (ill.); Laskey, __; Millin & Millingen, __.

 746320802_COMBINEDNapoleonStayinElba.jpg.43f86c1f4180c117a7ba3766f9172323.jpg

For a larger view of the zodiac signs:

51104949_NapoleonStayinElbaRev2.jpg.68c1f4e74f82fd6c6e9696db6c6915af.jpg

*According to Bramsen II at p. 102, Fortune seemingly awaits eagle’s instructions before turning her wheel: “La Fortune assise sur un rocher au milieu de la mer, semble attendre, pour faire tourner sa roue, les ordres d'un aigle debout derrière elle.”

And that's the last of the four. So, together with the medals for the Conquest of Upper Egypt, the Peace of Luneville, and the Entry into Moscow, that adds up to seven, all except the Luneville medal posted in this thread.  Plus even more giving the British point of view on the Napoleonic Wars, eight by Mudie alone. I guess that's what happens when you've read every single one of Bernard Cornwell's books about the adventures of Richard Sharpe. I also read a few of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, although I was never as enthusiastic about it as many are. And, of course, there's the best book I ever read about the Napoleonic Wars, War and Peace!

 

Edited by DonnaML
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For the sake of completion, my one other Napoleonic medal not already posted in this thread:

France AE Medal, Peace of Luneville, 1801. Artist: Bertrand Andrieu, Minted by Paris Mint

Obv.: Bust of Bonaparte wearing military uniform, head bare, facing right; around, BONAPARTE PREMIER CONSUL DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRAN.SE. [variety with legend beginning beneath Bonaparte’s bust]; on bust truncation, ANDRIEU F./ Rev.: Pax standing left with olive branch in raised right hand and cornucopia held in left arm; around, PAIX DE LUNEVILLE; in exergue, LE XX. PLUVOISE / AN IX [= 9 Feb. 1801]; on ground left in small letters, ANDRIEU F.  41 mm, 38.74 g. Laskey XXI at p. 45; Bramsen I 107 at p. 18 ; Millin & Millingen 41 at pp. 16-17 (ill. Pl. XII); Julius 905 at p. 57; Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1052.1 at p. 13 (ill.).

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As I've previously noted in another thread, the reverse design was based directly on ancient Roman coins depicting Pax. For comparison purposes, here's a denarius of Octavian (not mine) from 32-31 BCE (RIC I 252), with a similar reverse design of Pax with olive branch and cornucopiae, that I found in the CNG Archives. (See https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=318332 for a full description.)


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Edited by DonnaML
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Awesome coins and medals! Here two coins I think have not yet been posted:

French Republic - 5 Francs - 1803/ Year 12 of the revolutionary calendar - First Consul Napoleon - Toulouse mint

947554521_NapoleonFirstConsul.png.c1da10f643f1427dfe42376357db5891.png

Kingdom of Italy - 1 Soldo - 1813 - Emperor Napoleon - Milan mint

618137443_NapoleonItalien.png.95808ad664221c4022461cc22afe3ebe.png

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1 hour ago, DonnaML said:

For the sake of completion, my one other Napoleonic medal not already posted in this thread:

France AE Medal, Peace of Luneville, 1801. Artist: Bertrand Andrieu, Minted by Paris Mint

Obv.: Bust of Bonaparte wearing military uniform, head bare, facing right; around, BONAPARTE PREMIER CONSUL DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRAN.SE. [variety with legend beginning beneath Bonaparte’s bust]; on bust truncation, ANDRIEU F./ Rev.: Pax standing left with olive branch in raised right hand and cornucopia held in left arm; around, PAIX DE LUNEVILLE; in exergue, LE XX. PLUVOISE / AN IX [= 9 Feb. 1801]; on ground left in small letters, ANDRIEU F.  41 mm, 38.74 g. Laskey XXI at p. 45; Bramsen I 107 at p. 18 ; Millin & Millingen 41 at pp. 16-17 (ill. Pl. XII); Julius 905 at p. 57; Christian C. Jones Collection of Napoleonic Coins & Medals, Lot 1052.1 at p. 13 (ill.).

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As I've previously noted in another thread, the reverse design was based directly on ancient Roman coins depicting Pax. For comparison purposes, here's a denarius of Octavian (not mine) from 32-31 BCE (RIC I 252), with a similar reverse design of Pax with olive branch and cornucopiae, that I found in the CNG Archives. (See https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=318332 for a full description.)


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Nice medals , Donna!

Napoleon I was not known for his modest and diffident personality, to be sure!   

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I should point out that the last three of the four newly-found Napoleonic medals above are actually a somewhat darker brown than the photos make them look. For whatever reason, I couldn't get the color quite right.,

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