DonnaML's Top 10 World Coins and Medals for 2024

[DonnaML]

As some of you may remember, it's been my annual tradition since the Coin Talk days -- mostly because I'm bad at narrowing things down! -- to post several Top 10 lists each year: one each for Roman Republican, Imperial, and Provincial coins, and one or more for World coins and medals, sometimes further divided into British, French, etc.

I plan to do the same this year, even though the total number of coins and medals of all kinds that I bought in 2024 was, for budgetary reasons, far lower than in any of the previous several years. Also, unlike in some previous years, I didn't buy any single coin or medal in 2024 that cost as much as four figures. Not that I need to apologize for spending less money! I like everything I'm posting regardless of what it cost.

For World coins and medals, I'm posting only one list this year: three coins to start, and then seven medals. In chronological order rather than in order of purchase, or in any order of preference. As always, my apologies in advance for the sometimes extremely lengthy footnotes!

Coins:

1.  This coin was an addition to my very small collection of English silver coins (most of them hammered) issued prior to the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. It has scratches and much of the legend is no longer readable (possibly because of an old mounting), but I think the portrait is considerably better than the average for the type:

James I, AR Shilling, Third Coinage, Sixth (large) bust (1619-1625), mm. Lis (12 o’clock on both sides) (used 1623-1624; see Spink pp. 274 & 282). Obv. Crowned bust right with long, curly hair and projecting, square cut beard, • IACOBVS D : G : MAG: BRI: FRA: ET HIB: REX [James by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland]; value XII in left field [for 12 d. in shilling] / Rev. Royal arms quartered in shield within circle, legend around, QUAE DEUS CONIVNXIT NEMO SEPARET [AE ligate] [What God hath joined let no man put asunder]. S. 2668 (ill. p. 282) [Spink, Standard Catalogue of British Coins, Coins of England & the United Kingdom, Pre-Decimal Issues, 57^th Edition (2022)]; KM # 59 [Tracy L. Schmidt (ed.), Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 7^th Edition (Krause 2018); Coincraft’s Standard Catalogue of English & UK Coins 1066 to Date (London 1999), No. J1SH-30 (ill. p. 232). 30 mm, 5.79 g, 11 h.  Purchased 16 Jul 2024 from Leu Numismatik AG, Winterthur, Switzerland, Web Auction 30, 13-16 Jul 2024, Lot 3959 (“from the collection of a Swiss scholar, formed over the past thirty years”; scratches and traces of mounting noted).

2. I've always thought that the "Wild Man" silver coins minted in Germany in the 16th-early 19th centuries (I believe mostly in the various states in the vicinity of  Brunswick/Braunschweig and Lüneburg in today's Lower Saxony) looked interesting. But I never got around to buying one until this year. Entirely by coincidence, the coin I bought happens to have been issued by the future King George I of Great Britain, albeit at a time when he was merely Georg Ludwig, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. So I think I can legitimately consider it to be an adjunct to my collection of British coins and medals!

German States, Brunswick [Braunschweig]-Lüneburg-Calenberg-Hannover, Georg Ludwig  (1660-1727), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg & Prince-Elector of Holy Roman Empire 1698-1727 [also King George I of Great Britain & Ireland 1714-1727], AR 24 Mariengroschen (2/3 Thaler) 1707, Zellerfeld Mint, Lower Saxony. Obv. Bearded, hairy Wild Man (Wilder Mann), wearing loincloth and cap made of leaves and branches, standing facing, head turned slightly to left, upon fields dotted with tiny trees, holding large uprooted tree in right hand; above, motto IN RECTO DECUS. [Honor in Doing Right]; in lower right field, the number 24 [value in Mariengroschen] / Rev. In five lines within circle, *XXIIII* [Value] | MARIEN | GROSCH [Denomination] | V.FEIN.SILB: [fractional silver mark value] | *** (three stars) [privy mark for Zellerfeld Mint]; around, * GEORG . LUD : D : G : D : BR : & L : S : R : I : ELECT : 1707.  36 mm., 13.06 g. KM-15, p. 267 [Standard Catalog of German Coins 1501-Present (Krause Publications, 3rd ed. 2011)]; Welter 2158 [Gerhard Welter, Die Münzen der Welfen seit Heinrich dem Löwen (3 v., Braunschweig: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1971-78); Davenport 423 [Davenport, J. S., German Talers 1700-1800 (Galesburg 1958)]. Purchased 15 Jan. 2024 from Manfred Olding Münzhandlung, Osnabrück, Germany.*

*Anyone who wants to learn about the "Wild Man" myth in general, and its representation in works of art since medieval times, can go to https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_Wild_Man_Medieval_Myth_and_Symbolism and download a free pdf of a 1980 book, published in connection with an exhibition at The Cloisters, entitled The Wild Man: Medieval Myth and Symbolism, by Timothy Husband. There are only a couple of coins illustrated and discussed at length (see pp. 161-162, concerning two 16th century talers of Heinrich IX the Younger) but the book is interesting nonetheless.

3. The  only World gold coin I bought this year, completing my tiny "type set" of one gold coin issued by each of the three Kaisers of the unified German Empire that existed from 1871-1918.

German Empire, Preußen. Wilhelm I, AV 10 marks 1872A (Berlin Mint) (First issue). Obv. Bare head of Wilhelm I right, WILHELM DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG V. PREUSSEN; Mintmark A below / Rev. Crowned Imperial Eagle, head left, DEUTSCHES – REICH around; mark of value 10 – M. below eagle’s claws; beneath, date 18 – 72. 19.5 mm., 3.98 g. KM 502 p. 954 [N. Douglas Nicol, Standard Catalog of German Coins 1501-Present (Krause Pub., 3^rd ed. 2011)]; Jaeger 242 [Kurt Jaeger, Die deutschen Münzen seit 1871 (28^th ed., Regenstauf 2024)]. Purchased on MA-Shops from Münzzentrum-Dürr, Niederwürschnitz, Saxony, 12 Nov 2024.

Medals:

4 & 5.  Two Silver Counters of James I and Prince Charles, issued 1616-1620 & 1628 by the van der Passe family.

I purchased these at separate auctions; the footnote applies to both. Both depict James I on the obverse. The first depicts a  young Prince Charles on the reverse, and the second  -- actually issued after the death of James I -- shows Charles approximately a decade later, with a beard.

Photos:

4.  

5.  

Descriptions:

4.  England, James I and Prince Charles, AR Counter (cast or struck with possible engraving/chasing thereafter, see fn.), 1616-1620, van der Passe [also spelled de Passe] workshop, London, probably designed by the engraver Simon van der Passe (b. ca. 1585 in Utrecht, Netherlands, worked in London ca. 1616-1622, d. 1644 in Denmark).  Obv. Bust of King James (three-quarters right) in broad-brimmed hat with jewel attached to brim, wearing lace ruff, ermine robes, and chain of Order of the Garter; around from 1:00, legend • GIVE THY IUDGEMENTS O GOD UNTO THE KING [“HE” in “THE” ligate; N in “KING” partially hidden and G completely hidden behind King’s hat] / Rev. Young bust of Prince Charles (three-quarters right), bareheaded and clean-shaven, wearing lace ruff and riband for medal; around from 1:00, legend AND THY RIGHTEOUSNESSE UNTO THE KINGS SONNE [“HE” in “THE” ligate; NE partially hidden behind Prince's head]. 27 mm., 2.32 g. Mitchiner 3 Ch. 77.1, Type “a,” Nos. 4767-4775 at pp. 1661-1662 (ill. at same) [Michael Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets and Tokens, Vol. 3, British Isles circa 1558 to 1830 (1998)]; MI i 272 p. 376, ill. Pl. xxxiv, no. 1 (rev. ill. var., with beard) [Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I p. 376, No. 272 (London, 1885, reprinted 1969; Plate volume 1911, reprinted 1979)]; Farquhar, Helen, “Silver counters of the seventeenth century,” Numismatic Chronicle, 4th Series, Vol. XVI, at pp. 133−93, ill. Pl. V Nos. 2 (obv.) & 1 (rev.) (1916); Eimer 174 (p. 50), obv. ill. Pl. 21  [Christopher Eimer, British Commemorative Medals and their Values (Spink, 2nd ed. 2010)]. Purchased from Spink USA, Auction 394, 31 Jan 2024, Lot 171.*

5. England, James I and Prince Charles, AR Counter (cast or struck with possible engraving/chasing thereafter, see fn.), ca. 1628, van der Passe [also spelled de Passe] workshop, London (probably designed by Simon van der Passe’s brother, the engraver Willem a/k/a William van der Passe [b. ca. 1597/98], who remained in England from 1620/21 until his death in 1637, whereas Simon returned to the Netherlands in 1622 and moved to Copenhagen in 1625. Their father and brother, both named Crispin/Crispijn and both also engravers, never worked in England.) Obv. Bust of King James (three-quarters right) in broad-brimmed hat with jewel attached to brim, wearing lace ruff, ermine robes, and chain of Order of the Garter; around from 1:00, legend GIVE THY IVDGEMENTS O GOD UNTO THE KING [“V” not “U” in IVDGEMENTS; “HE” in “THE” ligate; N in “KING” partially hidden and G completely hidden behind King’s hat] / Rev. Mature bust of Prince Charles (three-quarters right), bareheaded with prominent mustache and beard down to top edge of ruff; wearing lace ruff and riband for medal; around from 1:00, legend AND THY RIGHTEOVSNESSE UNTO THE KINGS SONN [“V” not “U” in “RIGHTEOVSNESSE”; “HE” in “THE” ligate; no “E” at end of “SONN”]. 26.26 mm., 2.64 g. Mitchiner 3 Ch. 77.1, Type “c,” No. 4784 at p. 1664 (ill. at same) [Michael Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets and Tokens, Vol. 3, British Isles circa 1558 to 1830 (1998)]; MI i 272 p. 376 (rev. var., see note stating that “Varieties of the above counter give older portraits of Prince Charles, having a beard”), ill. Pl. xxxiv, no. 1 (rev. ill. var.) [Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I p. 376, No. 272 (London, 1885, reprinted 1969; Plate volume 1911, reprinted 1979)]; Farquhar, Helen, “Silver counters of the seventeenth century,” Numismatic Chronicle, 4th Series, Vol. XVI, at pp. 133−93, ill. Pl. V Nos. 2 (obv.) & 3 (rev.) (1916).  Purchased from Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Osnabrück, Germany, Auction 401, 5 Feb. 2024, Lot 1100.*

Footnote, applicable to both:

*Silver counters depicting James I and Prince Charles  -- as well as counters depicting Charles I & Queen Henrietta Maria, Gustavus Adolphus & Maria Eleanora, and two later series of 36 different counters each, issued in the 1630s, depicting the sovereigns of England beginning with Edward I in both full-length and half-length versions -- “were used as markers or counters ‘for reckoning and for play.’ They appear to have been issued in sets of thirty-six, composed either of pieces of different types or of repetitions of the same type. Some of these counters were executed by Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller, goldsmith, and engraver to Elizabeth, and afterwards to James I. From the latter, Hilliard received in 1617 a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family, and in virtue of this patent he sold licences to other engravers to execute these counters. Simon [van der] Passe and his brother [Willem/William], both of whom excelled in the art of engraving, are said to have received such licences. The period over which the issue of these pieces ranges is from 1616 to 1638, the earlier date corresponding with that when Simon Passe commenced his portraits of various members of the Royal Family and others.” Medallic Illustrations Vol. I, op. cit., pp. 375-376.

Specifically with respect to the counters depicting James I (reigned 1603-1625) on the obverse and Prince Charles (later Charles I from 1625-1649) on the reverse, Mitchiner’s book (see p. 1661) summarizes Helen Farquhar’s 1916 study in the Numismatic Chronicle Vol. XVI as concluding that “the portraits of King James and Prince Charles on the counters bore close resemblance to contemporary painted portraits. She also considered that progressive maturation in the portrait of Prince Charles,” including adding a beard to the earliest, clean-shaven portrait, “indicated that these counters had been manufactured through a period of several years -- during 1616-1625, and with a later re-issue in 1628.” Mitchiner adds (id.) that “Helen Farquhar has produced a good case for considering that those counters bearing the portraits of King James and Prince Charles were first produced . . . in 1616,” when Charles was 16 years old. “This exempted the counters of Simon van der Passe from the prohibition of 1617 made in favor of Nicholas Hilliard. The school of Simon van der Passe continued producing their counters for several years. After Simon had returned to Holland in 1621/22, the school in London was managed by his brother William van der Passe. He worked there from 1620, or 1621, until his death in 1637.”

At pp. 1661-1664, Mitchiner classifies the James I/Prince Charles counters into three groups as follows: “The main types of these counters, slightly simplified from the views put forward by Helen Farquhar, can be placed within three groups whose portraiture of Prince Charles spans the period circa 1616 to 1628,” with the portraits of James I on the obverse remaining essentially unchanged. Mitchiner describes the three groups as “a. Prince Charles clean shaven: 1616−c.1620, . . . . b. Prince Charles has a moustache and a beard: circa 1620−1625, . . . . c. Prince Charles has a more mature portrait, with larger moustache and beard: c.1628” (i.e., after the death of James I and the ascension of Charles I to the throne in 1625), with the final portrait of Charles apparently copied from an engraving of that year. (Id. p. 1664, citing Farquhar’s article; see Numismatic Chronicle XVI at p. 165 & n. 55, referring to an “exact prototype in an engraving probably of the year 1628, by W. J. Delff after Mytens.”)

As noted in the descriptions of my two counters above, and as is clear from the two photos, the reverses fall into Mitchiner’s categories “a” and “c” respectively. Both types are illustrated in Plate V to Farquhar’s article, as nos. “1” and “3,” respectively.

By contrast, here is an example of a counter with the type “b” reverse (not mine), sold by St. James Auctions on 27 June 2016 (found on acsearch; see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=3174513 ) :

Even apart from the fact that Charles’s beard on type “c” is considerably longer than the one on type “b” -- extending all the way down to the top edge of his ruff -- the easiest ways to distinguish type “c” from type “b” are the absence of the single line present in “b” dividing the ruff down the middle, and the fact that the legends for type “c” use “V” for “U” in two places (once on the obverse and once on the reverse), whereas type “b” (like type “a”) uses “U” throughout.

As Eimer explains at p. 50, all types of the small James I/Prince Charles silver counters are “in extremely low relief and similar in execution to the oval medals produced [in 1616] by Simon van der Passe.” The reference is to the earlier series of large 50 mm. x 63 mm. [2” x 2.5”] oval plaques of James I and the rest of the Royal Family, issued by van der Passe in 1616 in silver and gold, as described in Medallic Illustrations Vol. I  at pp. 214-218, Nos. 61-63, 66-69. See these examples of the James I oval plaque in silver, and the Prince Charles oval plaque in gold, sold by  Baldwin's of St. James's in 2019 for $5,331 (see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6055775), and by Künker in 2022 for $72,150 (see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=9948190), respectively:

 

 

The manner of execution of the small silver counters like the two I purchased “has been the subject of much debate, with MI [Medallic Illustrations] suggesting it to be by means of striking, in imitation of engraving; while a paper by Helen Farquhar (1916 [see full citation above] was unable to arrive at any firm conclusions.” Eimer p. 50. (Farquhar concluded after microscopic examination that some of the counters were struck and others cast.) Eimer continues: “The technical difficulties associated with preparing dies able to withstand the striking of a relatively large number of medals of this kind are such that this does not really offer itself as a realistic option. Comparing examples of the same medal suggest that neither can hand engraving be considered an alternative, and they are almost certainly fine quality casts.” Id. See also Mark Jones, “The Technique of Simon van de Passe reconsidered,” Numismatic Chronicle, Vol. 143 at pp. 227-230 & Plates 44-46 (1983) (see https://www.jstor.org/stable/42665184), concluding after microscopic examination of various specimens of the James I/Prince Charles counters in the British Museum collection that “while de Passe engraved the models for his medals and, on occasion, directly engraved medals not intended for reproduction; the reproductive technique used in his workshop was neither stamping in imitation of engraving, nor engraving, whether or not assisted by transfers [from portrait prints], but simple casting” -- which was nonetheless “very skilful casting, of the order seen in contemporary work by Guillaume Dupré and others, and presumably followed by a polishing process which produced the ‘clean and sharp’ surface referred to by [G.F.] Hill.” Jones, op. cit. at p. 230 & n. 18 (citing G.F. Hill, “The Technique of Simon Van de Passe,” Numismatic Chronicle, 4^th Series, Vol. XV pp. 230-242 (1915)).

However, despite citing the 1983 Jones article, Mitchiner, writing in 1998, continues to maintain (contrary to both Jones and Eimer) that “Counters of this series were manufactured by striking with dies and subsequently refining some details by engraving (chasing), especially on the later counters in the series.” See Mitchiner, p. 1661. See also Colin Narbeth, “Silver gambling counters of the Simon van de Passe School,” Casino Chip and Token News, pp. 58-59 at p. 59 (April-June 2003) (“Many numismatists disagree” with Jones, on the ground that “the quality and sharpness of work on such thin flans mitigates against the casting processes available at the time”). Finally, an article by Penny Davies, “Peter Oliver and Simon De Passe,” British Numismatic Journal Vol. 87 pp. 254-258 (2017) (available at https://www.britnumsoc.org/images/PDFs/BNJ_2017/15q_Short_Articles_184_-_Davies.pdf), in proposing a portrait miniature of Prince Charles by the artist Peter Oliver as the possible prototype for counter type “b,” takes an intermediate view, citing both Jones’s and Mitchiner’s positions on the method of manufacture of the van der Passe counters, but pointing out at p. 255 that even if the counters were, in fact, all the product of casting, “[t]hese cast counters could equally have been subsequently refined by engraving and chasing.”

6.  Most Dutch historical and commemorative medals from the 16th and 17th centuries are extremely expensive and unaffordable to me, but this one was an exception. It's a small medal minted in Rotterdam in the Netherlands to celebrate the joint coronation in 1689 of William, Prince of Orange as William III, King of England, together with his wife -- and first cousin -- Mary as Queen.  (William's mother was a sister of Mary's father, the deposed King James II.)

Netherlands, AR William III (& Mary II) of England, Coronation Festivities at Rotterdam, 1689. Obv. In foreground, City Shield of Rotterdam, resting against a palm tree and supported by two lions; on a band beneath, ROTERODAMUM; in background, city view of Rotterdam, with the River Meuse and its shipping in front / Rev. People seated at a feast, in front of a triumphal arch inscribed PRINCIPI PATRIAE QUE S. C. [To the Prince and our country, by order of the senate], and decorated above with a crowned bust of William III, facing with head turned slightly to right; in foreground to left, the city’s statue of Erasmus; in exergue, 1689. 30 x 31 mm., 9.72 g. MI i, pp. 678-679 no. 55, ill. Pl. LXXIII no. 6 [Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I (1885, reprinted by Spink 1969; Plate volume 1911, reprinted by Spink 1979)]; Michael Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets & Tokens Vol. II, The Low Countries and France 2658 p. 849 (ill. same) (London 1991). Purchased 30 Jan 2024 from Daniel Zufahl Münzen & Medaillen Numis Matic, Munich, Germany.*

*The traditional interpretation of this type is set forth at MI I, p. 679: “The coronation of William III was celebrated with great rejoicings at most of the principal towns in the United Provinces. At Rotterdam a great dinner was given in the place where the statue of Erasmus is erected, and this small medal was distributed upon the occasion.”  However, as @AnYangMan explained in a comment when I originally posted this medal (see https://www.numisforums.com/topic/5964-my-first-dutch-historical-medal-coronation-of-william-iii-of-england/#comment-78163 ), "In fact, in traditional Dutch numismatics, this medal does not even fall under the term of ‘historiepenningen’ (historical medals)! It instead is a so-called ‘vroedschapspenning’ or as they are known in English city-council tokens. People serving in the city council, both the ‘Burgemeesters’,  ‘schepenen’ and the secretaries, received financial compensation whenever they attended city council meetings. Initially this was paid out directly once a year, which required thorough and detailed administration. So instead, towards the end of the 17th century, quite a few Dutch cities switched to a system of using silver tokens. For every meeting, the attending members would receive a token. In Rotterdam, the ‘burgemeesters’ (mayors) received a slightly larger token worth 24 stuivers, while the other members of the vroedschap (city-council) would receive a smaller one worth 18 stuivers. They could either be used for ordering wine during these meetings or exchanged with the city-treasurer for actual circulating coinage. Though in many cases, member also kept examples, as they quickly became prestige objects!

The idea to start producing Vroedschapspenningen for use in Rotterdam came in September 1688. One of the great Dutch artists of the late 17th century, Romeyn de Hooghe (1645-1708), was asked to design them. The letter he sent the city-council in January 1689 is still preserved in the city archives, showing some interesting alternative versions. Unfortunately, it seems to not have been digitized yet. 

These vroedschapspenningen were very much a symbol of local pride within the upper circles. Hence why they have strong local imagery; those from Haarlem depict the saw-ship of Damiate, Gouda’s shows three important historical figures in their history, Alkmaar references their role in the eighty years’ war, etc. Rotterdam naturally had to depict Erasmus and being one of the most pro-Orange cities in the republic, had to make a small reference to William III. The scene on the obverse is not meant to depict a banquet, but rather an idealized/classicized city council meeting, with all the 18 members of the vroedschap depicted in Roman togas.

The tokens themselves were struck in the mint in Dordrecht, where the dies were cut by master engraver Daniel Drappentier (1643-1714). Two pairs of dies were cut, of which 3 individual dies are still kept in Rotterdam. In total, 1200 large medals for the mayors and 3000 small medals for the rest of the vroedschap were struck. While the designs of these two varieties only shows minor differences, the diameter is often decisive. Yours for example, is one of the 3000 smaller pieces. Tokens with this design were first handed out in the meeting of 26 September 1689 and continued to be used until 1705, when a new token, also struck in Dordrecht, was introduced.

So while not so much a medal commemorating the coronation of William III, an incredibly fascinating piece of Dutch local history and certainly a piece of art!" 

After reading an article that @AnYangMan recommended to me on this subject, I posted the following: I have reviewed (in translation) the 1888 Unger article -- which came out three years after Medallic Illustrations was published in 1885, with its story of coronation festivities -- and doing some further research, it's obvious that you're correct that the story of the 1689 Rotterdam medal being issued in connection with such a coronation feast for William III is entirely fictional. However, by stating that Rotterdam, "being one of the most pro-Orange cities in the republic, had to make a small reference to William III," and that the medal is "not so much a medal commemorating the coronation of William III," I believe you may be underplaying the connection of the medal to the coronation that same year, and understating the desire of the city council (as opposed to a feeling of compulsion) to commemorate that event, and honor the fact that William was now King in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Therefore, I will still classify this medal as serving as a "coronation medal" as its secondary purpose, in addition to its primary function as a token serving as substitute compensation to city council members for their attendance at meetings, in lieu of attendance fees.

I think the key to my interpretation is the fact that none of the proposed designs originally submitted by de Hooghe in January 1689, before the April 1689 coronation, depicted William at all -- let alone William crowned as King, as did the final version issued after the coronation, even though he wasn't a "king" in the Netherlands. The proposed designs also gave far more prominence to the Erasmus statue than did the final version.

See the discussion of the medal in a recent article about a proposed map that de Hooghe created: Laurien Van Der Werff , "Rotterodamum: Romeyn de Hooghe’s Rejected Map of Rotterdam Rediscovered," The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, Vol. 69, No. 2 (2021), pp. 122-143 at pp. 128-129 (available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/27020084?read-now= ) : 

Here are the original sketches. Note the absence of William's image (crowned or otherwise) and the placement of the statue of Erasmus in the center rather than off to the side as in the final version:

See also this excerpt from an 1888 article by J.H.W. [Johan Hendrik Willem] Unger, "De vroedschappspenningen van Rotterdam," Rotterdams Jaarbockje 1 (1888), pp. 169-195,  at the link provided by @AnYangMan (see https://rjb.x-cago.com/GARJB/1888/12/18881231/GARJB-18881231-0175/story.pdf ) :

After describing the five preliminary sketches submitted by De Hooghe, the author states (as translated), that "If one now compares these five designs with the medal, one sees that important changes have been made, and so if the executed design actually comes from Romein de Hooghe, he must have supplied a completely different drawing. Nothing can be found about this in the archives."  At p. 174, Unger then discusses the final version of the medal:

In (very rough!) translation:

"On the medal, as it was minted in 1689 (1) [fn. omitted],
Rotterdam is depicted in the distance on one side, seen from the Maas side, and in the foreground below a palm tree, her crowned coat of arms, by two lions held, under which a ribbon reads: «Roterodamum». On the other side in the foreground a statue of Erasmus, on the second plane[?] a meeting of 18 [sic] people dressed in Roman costume, and in the background an honorary gate, which bears an inscription: «Principi Patriaeque», d. i. “To the Prince and Our Country." Above the honorary gate is a laurel wreath with various attributes and a bust of King William III. In the distance between the bar you see water with ships. Between the columns the letters: S.C., d. i. Senatus Consulto; at the bottom of the medal the year 1689. That the stadtholder, who recently was crowned King of England, was given a place of honor on this medal, is proof of how much the Vroedschap [City Council] of Rotterdam, where the English trade particularly flourished, was pleased with the elevation of the prince of Orange (2).  (Emphasis added.) [Fn 2 cites Gerard Van Loon Vol III p. 420.]

See also Gerard Van Loon, Beschryving Der Nederlandsche Historipenningen, etc. [Description of the Dutch Historical Medals], Vol. III p. 420 (1728) (available at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Beschryving_der_Nederlandsche_Historipen/A5FMAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover ), placing this medal within the series of medals commemorating the coronation of William III & Mary II:

So I am comfortable with continuing to characterize the medal as being connected to the coronation, at least as its secondary purpose.

7.  A French uniface medal commemorating the Siege of the Bastille.

France, Louis XVI, Bronzed Pewter or PB (Lead) Uniface Cliché Medallion, Siege of the Bastille, 14 July 1789, by Bertrand Andrieu (second state variety; see 2nd fn.). Obv. A large crowd of citizens armed with cannon, muskets, and bayonets, among them soldiers of the Garde Française, besiege the Bastille and its towers, which loom over them partly covered with smoke from the guns, with only a small number of defenders, visible atop the towers, firing upon them; the chains of the drawbridge have been broken, and the besiegers pour through the entrance to the bridge at the right; barrels of powder and several dead revolutionaries lie in the foreground among the gunners; above, SIEGE DE LA BASTILLE; in exergue in three lines, PRISE PAR LES CITOYENS DE | LA VILLE DE PARIS | LE 14. JUET. [Juillet] 1789; beneath the exergue line, with another line below as border, signed ANDRIEU F. [fecit] to left, and No. 1 to right [as first of planned series]* / Rev. None [uniface]. 85 mm., 84.87 g. Hennin 23 pp. 16-17 (second state variety)** [Michel Hennin, Histoire numismatique de la révolution française . . . depuis l'ouverture des Etats-généraux jusqu'à l'établissement du gouvernement consulaire (Paris 1826)]; Trésor de Numismatique (“T.N.”) Vol. 13, No. 6.5 p. 8, ill. Planche VI No. 5 (second state variety) [Paul Delaroche, Henriquel Dupont & Charles Lenormant, eds., Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique Fol. 13, Médailles de la Révolution Française, 5 Mai 1789 - 18 Mai 1804 (1836), available at Google Books]; CGMP Vol. I 312D (ill. p. 313) (second state variety) [Catalogue général illustré des éditions de la Monnaie de Paris, Vol. I, De L’Antiquité à Louis XVI (1977)]; Jones p. 99 (ill. fig. 253) (second state variety) [Mark Jones, The Art of the Medal (British Museum 1979)]; Julius 13-14 pp. 1-2 (ill. Taf. 1) (second state variety) [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]; Benjamin Weiss Collection BW 393 (second state variety) [see photo & description at http://www.historicalartmedals.com/MEDAL%20WEB%20ENTRIES/FRANCE/NAPOLEONIC%20MEDALS/ANDRIEU-SIEGE%20OF%20BASTILLE-BW393%20HIGH.htm]; Jean Babelon, La Médaille et Les Médailleurs (Paris 1927), p. 195 (ill. Pl. XXXV No. 5) (second state variety); Jean Babelon & Jean Roubier, Portraits en Médailles (Paris 1946), pp. 79, 82 (ill. Planche XXXVI) (second state variety). Purchased Jan. 20 2024 from Stephane de Jaeger, Heuland, Normandie, France.

The medal is now on display on a stand in my living room, together with my other uniface French medals by Bertrand Andrieu. I decided that the storming of the Bastille at the beginning of the Revolution belongs in the foreground, with Napoleon looming behind, the future awaiting.

*Andrieu completed only one more medal in the planned series, commemorating the 6 October 1789 “Arrival of the King in Paris.” (See Hennin 62, Julius 54, Trésor de numismatique 13.2, Weiss BW395.)

**I have been unable to find a photo of a specimen struck from the first state of the die. Such specimens are apparently rare, because Andrieu lightly retouched the die -- which was never hardened, because it was used only for striking uniface clichés in pewter or lead -- shortly after the first state was published in early January 1790, in order to create the second state variety. (See Hennin p. 16.) All the descriptions and illustrations in the various books and catalogs cited above are of the second state variety -- the same variety as my specimen -- except in Hennin, which describes but does not illustrate the second state. Here is an engraving in Hennin, at Pl. 3, of the first-state medal, the only such illustration I have found:

As explained in both Hennin and T.N. (which describes both varieties but illustrates only the second state) -- one book published in 1826 and the other in 1836 -- the primary difference between the two states of the die is in the depiction of the building in front of the far-right tower of the Bastille, slightly to the right of the medal’s center. In the first state, as seen in the engraving, the slanted roof of the building is largely visible, and beneath it one can see five windows in the building’s top story, and two windows in the next story below. To create the second state (represented by my specimen), Andrieu retouched the die so that only two windows and part of a third in the top story of the building are visible. The other windows in the top story, the windows in the story beneath, and the roof of the building, are now covered above and below with smoke from the guns. See Hennin pp. 16-17, T.N. p. 8. (A different, unsigned medal, imitative of Andrieu’s first state, with a different legend in the exergue referring to the “EPOQUE DU 14 JUILLET 1789” [see Hennin 24, Trésor de Numismatique 6.6, Julius 15] is relatively common.)

8.  A medal from 1793 -- struck in England and designed by a German medallist obviously sympathetic to the French royal family -- depicting the execution of Louis XVI as a terrible event, but nonetheless capturing some of the excitement of the moment:

France, AE Execution of Louis XVI, 1793, by Conrad Heinrich Küchler. Struck at Matthew Boulton’s Soho mint, Birmingham, UK.

Obv. Conjoined busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette right; around beginning at 8:00, LUD•XVI D:G•FR•ET NAV•REX•MAR•ANT•AUSTR•REG• (Ludovicus decimu - sextus Dei gratiâ Franciæ et Navarræ rex. Maria Antonia Austriaca regina. = Louis XVI, by the grace of God, King of France and of Navarre. Marie Antoinette Queen of Austria.); beneath busts, FATI INIQUI ("By an Unjust Fate"); on bust truncation of King, C.H.K. (initials of C.H. Küchler) /

Rev. View of the Place de la Révolution [now the Place de la Concorde] in Paris, filled with citizens and troops, at the moment after the execution of Louis XVI; on the scaffold in the middle of the square, the executioner, Charles Henri Sanson, stands to the left of the guillotine holding up the head of Louis XVI by the hair, displaying it to the surrounding crowd; two other persons stand on the scaffold, one pointing to Sanson and the other looking at the crowd with his arms folded; two banners rise from the crowd at the front of the square, the one to the left reading DROIT [droits] DE L'HOMME (“the Rights of Man”), and the other, to the right, depicting a fasces surmounted by the cap of Liberty and a set of scales, with the words VIVRE LIBR [libres] (“Live Free”) at the bottom; around, within a banderole, CRINEMQUE ROTANTES SANGUINEUM POPULIS ULULARUNT TRISTLA GALLI • (from Pharsalia by Lucan, Book 1, verses 566-567; = “shaking their bloody locks, the Gauls [the French] frightened the people with their mournful howls” [from French translation of legend found in Hennin and Trésor de Numismatique, infra], OR = “And Gauls, shaking blood-red locks, howled evil tidings to the world” [translation by George F. Hill found in British Museum Guide to the Exhibition of Historical Medals, infra], OR = “the Galli (priests of Cybele) whirled their gory locks, shrieking ruin to the nations” [translation of verses in Lucan at https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/PharsaliaImaster.php]); in exergue, in two lines, XXI JANUARIUS | ANNO MDCCXCIII; within exergue lines, “P.” ( = Philippe, an engraver at the Soho Mint; see Hennin p. 316).

51 mm., 70.91 g.

References:

Hennin 465 pp. 315-316 (ill. Planche 45) [Michel Hennin, Histoire numismatique de la révolution française . . . depuis l'ouverture des Etats-généraux jusqu'à l'établissement du gouvernement consulaire (Paris 1826)]*;

Trésor de Numismatique (“T.N.”) Vol. 13, No. 40.5 p. 47, ill. Planche XL No. 5 [Paul Delaroche, Henriquel Dupont & Charles Lenormant, eds., Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique Fol. 13, Médailles de la Révolution Française, 5 Mai 1789 - 18 Mai 1804 (1836), available at Google Books];

Julius 255 p. 16 [AE version] (AR version, No. 254, ill. Taf. 5) [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];

George F. Hill & G.C. Brooke, A Guide to the Exhibition of Historical Medals at the British Museum, No. 79 at pp. 122-123 (ill. Fig. 109 p. 122) (London 1924).

Purchased at Spink USA Auction 394, 31 Jan. 2024, Lot 108.

The Spink photo, which I don't think reflects the medal's actual chocolate brown color particularly well:

My own attempt to photograph the medal in a way that both shows the color a little better, and still allows one to see the details of the scene on the reverse:

*This is Hennin’s commentary on the medal, at p. 315:

A translation of the most salient portions:

“No medal was struck in France relating to the death of Louis XVI, during the years 1793 and 1794. The government of the time did not order one; and no one, as it is easy to imagine, conceived the idea of consecrating the memory of such an event with approving medals. . . . The medal described in this entry and the following ones . . . were struck outside France and widely distributed. The terrible impression produced by the death of the French monarch and the veneration which attached to his memory inspired the idea of these medals, and they were published in the principal capitals of Europe. Writings and newspapers of the time report that they were found in the pockets of enemy soldiers killed or captured [by the French], and especially in those of emigrants. One carried, as painful memories, these medals, of which a large number were struck, as we can judge by the following entries and by those which are found with the date of October 16 of the same year, for the medals relating to both the death of the King and that of the Queen. As soon as the Reign of Terror was over, and under the government of the Directorate, images of Louis XVI multiplied in France. No medals were struck [in France] in honor of this prince, because doing so would undoubtedly have encountered difficulties too great, but various clichés or repoussés were made. We will find four of these pieces described under Nos. 491 to 494. Under the Consulate, the portraits of Louis XVI became even more numerous.”

Küchler issued a companion medal after the execution of Marie Antoinette later that year, although that one is definitely less graphic, refraining from showing the actual event.

9. Proceeding through French history, an 1813 Napoleonic medal commemorating the Battle of Lutzen.

France, AE Medal, Battle of Lutzen [Lützen, Saxony-Anhalt], 2 May 1813. Artists: Obverse Alexis Joseph Depaulis; Reverse Nicholas Guy Antoine Brenet. Obv. Uniformed bust of Napoleon right in high relief, bareheaded, with high collar and large epaulette on shoulder [representing introduction of new military bust to replace Andrieu’s portrait, see Todd p. 159 and Zeitz p. 236]; above his head, a laurel wreath; around, NAPOLEON – EMP. ET ROI; beneath bust truncation in two lines, DENON. D. [direxit] | DEPAULIS. F. [fecit] / Rev. A Prussian cavalryman armed with sword and a Russian Cossack wearing long kaftan and armed with spear (point touching right rim) on horseback, fleeing right at full gallop from victorious French infantry, seen advancing right in the distance beneath them; in exergue in two lines, BATAILLE DE LUTZEN | II MAI MDCCCXIII; above exergue line to left, BRENET. 40 mm., 42.13 g. Trésor Numismatique 57.9 p. 111, ill. Planche LVII No. 9 [Paul Delaroche, Henriquel Dupont & Charles Lenormant, eds., Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique, Vol. 18, Collection de Médailles de L’Empire Français et de L’Empereur Napoleon (1840), available at gallica.bnf.fr & on Google Books]; Bramsen II 1229 p. 46 [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. II, 1810-1815 at p. 35 (Copenhagen 1907), available at Newman Numismatic Portal]; Zeitz 132 at p. 236, ill. p. 237  [Lisa & Joachim Zeitz, Napoleons Medaillen (Petersberg Imhof 2003)]; Todd p. 188, obv. ill. p. 159,  rev. ill. p. 190 & on book’s front cover [Richard A. Todd, Napoleon’s Medals: Victory to the Arts (The History Press, UK, 2009)]; David Thomason Alexander, A Napoleonic Medal Primer (2022), No. 147 (p. 148; ill. p. 149) (available at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/618630); Laskey CXXXII at pp. 217-220 [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]. Purchased from William Goetz, Mountainside, NJ, 12 Jan. 2024 (at NYINC 2024).*

*The May 1813 Battle of Lutzen [Lützen] in Saxony-Anhalt, about 10 km. southwest of Leipzig, in which Napoleon defeated an allied army of the Sixth Coalition -- not to be confused with the famous Battle of Lützen in the Thirty Years War in 1632 at a nearby site, resulting in the death of Gustavus Adolphus -- was one of Napoleon’s few (and temporary) military successes after the disastrous retreat from Moscow. For details of the battle and its aftermath, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_L%C3%BCtzen_(1813); see also Laskey, op. cit., at pp. 217-220. Although Napoleon won the day when the Prussians and Russians retreated, the lack of French cavalry prevented pursuit, and French casualties (some 20,000) were double those of the combined Allied forces. The same was true of Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Wurtchen (Bautzen) 18 days later, commemorated by Bramsen II 1232. According to the Wikipedia article, the “ferocity of these two battles prompted Napoleon to accept a temporary armistice on June 4 with Tsar Alexander and King Frederick William III. This agreement provided the allies the respite to organise and re-equip their armies and, perhaps more importantly, encouraged Britain to provide Russia and Prussia with war subsidies totalling seven million pounds. The financial security offered by this agreement was a major boon to the war effort against Napoleon. Another important result of the battle was that it encouraged Austria to join the allied Coalition upon the armistice's expiration, shifting the balance of power dramatically in the Coalition's favor.”

For a discussion of the new obverse portrait by Depaulis, see Zeitz p. 236: “Auf der Vorderseite ist ein neues Porträt von Napoleon eingeführt das der junge Medailleur Depaulis [1792-1867] 1813 schuf. Wie Andrieus klassischer Napoleon in der Art römischer Kaiserportraits, der so oft in der Serie alas Vorderseite auftaucht, ist die Darstellung stark idealisiert. Das Gesicht ist prall und glatt. Die Haare sind fast so kurze wie auf Andrieus Porträt, fallen aber strähniger. Das abgehobene Kaiserporträt bringt Depaulis dem Zeitgenossen durch die Uniform näher. Die gleiche Vorderseite weist auch die nächste Medaille auf. Für den Stempel der Medaillenrückseite erhielt Brenet 3,000 Francs.” [Translation via Google Translate: A new portrait of Napoleon, created by the young medalist Depaulis [1792-1867] in 1813, is introduced on the obverse. Like Andrieu's classic Napoleon in the style of Roman imperial portraits that so often appears on the obverse in the series, the depiction is highly idealized. The face is plump and smooth. The hair is almost as short as in Andrieu's portrait, but is more lank. The detached imperial portrait brings Depaulis closer to his contemporaries through the uniform. [Not sure what this means!] The next medal [for the Battle of Wurtchen] also has the same obverse. Brenet received 3,000 francs for the engraving on the reverse of the medal.]

10. Back to England for this one, a City of London medal. For those not familiar with these, the Corporation of the City of London issued a series of 30 large bronze medals between 1831 and 1902, celebrating occasions such as the opening of buildings and the reception of British and foreign royalty in the City. Except for the very early ones, they're mostly between 70 and 80 mm. in diameter. The mintages of all of them were quite low, around 400-500. They're all quite popular when available, because of their size, their scarcity, and the high skill with which they were made. Some have always been very expensive, such as those issued for the visits of the Czar of Russia and the Shah of Persia (both of which I once owned but sold). In addition, the ones with architectural reverses depicting building interiors in a way that appears three-dimensional have been selling for well over $1,000 recently, for whatever reason. (Unfortunately, I sold my couple of examples of those too, for a lot less than $1,000!) 

A rather elaborate book was published covering the first 26 of the 30, through 1893: Welch, Charles, Numismata Londinensia, Medals Struck by the Corporation of London to Commemorate Important Municipal Events, 1831 to 1893 (London 1894) ("Welch"). I have an original copy; here's the title page:

This website has photos and descriptions of all 30 of the City of London medals: http://www.historicalartmedals.com/...NAILS/CITY OF LONDON/brand new thumbnails.htm.

I once owned 10 of these 30 medals, but sold eight of them about a decade ago. In the last few years, I have bought five more (not all of them the same types I sold), giving me a total of seven. Here is my most recent purchase, which is one of the types I once sold, and has a reverse that gives the illusion of being three-dimensional, especially when viewed through a magnifying glass. It's No. 27 of 30, and the first one to be issued after Welch was published:

Great Britain, 1894, AE Commemorative Medal for the Corporation of the City of London (No. 27), Prince of Wales Opens Tower Bridge, by Frank Bowcher. Obv. Conjoined busts left of Queen Victoria, crowned and draped and wearing necklace, between Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in military regalia to right, and Alexandra, Princess of Wales, draped and wearing elaborate necklace to left. / Rev. View of Tower Bridge over River Thames from downstream South Bank, with the Bridge’s bascules raised, the Royal steam-yacht (HMY Victoria and Albert) passing underneath headed south, and buildings on North Bank visible in background; above, Bridge-House Estates Badge within branches; around from 10:00-3:00, legend TOWER BRIDGE OPENED 30^TH JUNE 1894; in exergue, shield with arms of City of London dividing four-line inscription ON BEHALF OF - HER MAJESTY | QUEEN - VICTORIA | BY - HRH | THE PRINCE OF WALES; above exergue line, F. BOWCHER FECIT. 77 mm., 241 g.  (450 specimens struck.) Eimer 1790 (p. 235), ill. Pl. 198 [Eimer, Christopher, British Commemorative Medals and their Values (Spink, 2nd ed. 2010)]; BHM II 3476 (p. 422) [Brown, Laurence, British Historical Medals Vol. II, 1837-1901 (Seaby 1987)]; Whittlestone & Ewing 1795.1 (p. 153) [Whittlestone, Andrew & Michael Ewing, Royal Commemorative Medals 1837-1977, Vol. 1, Queen Victoria 1837-1901 (2008)]; Fearon 345.1 (p. 79), ill. p. 175 [Fearon, Daniel, Spink’s Catalogue of British Commemorative Medals, 1558 to the Present Day (1984). Purchased from Noonans Mayfair, Ltd., London, UK, Auction 291, 5 Mar. 2024, Lot 1193.*

*See BHM II p. 422 fn.: “The decision to build a bascule bridge over the river Thames at Tower Hill was taken in 1884. Sir Horace Jones was appointed architect and John Wolfe-Barry the engineer. The upper, fixed bridge, 112 feet above the water was intended for pedestrians when the lower level bridge was opened and was served by lifts. Hydraulic machinery operated the lower bridges . . . The bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales on 30 June under a cloudless sky and watched by one of the largest crowds to gather on such an occasion. The Times correspondent at the scene described the opening of the bascules as ‘imposing in the same sense as a great convulsion of the natural world; it was an exhibition of resistless force which held the spectators spellbound and speechless.’ This medal won the first prize of 35 guineas in the competition to mark the occasion [citing a press advertisement announcing the competition appearing in the press on 2 October 1894, implying that the medal itself was not struck until 1895.] A full report of the [opening] event is to be found in The Times, 2 July 1894.’”

I know there aren't so many of you who are as interested in World coins and medals as in ancients -- I like them pretty much equally! -- but I hope you've enjoyed these nonetheless. If you want, you can choose a favorite in the accompanying poll. (I wanted to give the option of choosing up to three, but couldn't figure out how to do that. Nobody ever said I was smart.)

Edited December 4, 2024 by DonnaML

[CPK]

A wonderful selection @DonnaML! Very hard to pick one favorite, but as a fan of Napoleonic history I ended up voting for #9. Honorable mentions to the James I shilling, Storming of the Bastille medal, and the Victorian Tower Bridge medal. All in all, an excellent group!

[filolif]

Amazing pieces. The detail and quality is top tier! Congrats on a really wonderful year.

[singig]

I also voted for the 1813 Napoleonic medal , beautiful reverse. Congratulations !

[JayAg47]

Great additions, my favourite is that medal featuring the guillotining of Louis XVI . 

[DonnaML]

2 minutes ago, JayAg47 said:

Great additions, my favourite is that medal featuring the guillotining of Louis XVI . 

Thanks. Pretty graphic, isn't it? It reminds me a bit of ancient coins depicting Perseus holding up the head of Medusa!

[Qcumbor]

For me, the James I shilling any day !

That said, the two medals from the revolution (prise de la Bastille, and décapitation de Louis Capet) are very interesting.

Around the French revolution bicentennial, a private medalist (Jean-Marc Laleta) edited some small medals (advertising on how much they would be valued in a near future 😄), re-using the "prise de la Bastille" scene on the reverse. Back then, I was naive enough to buy the silver and the bronze version. Even though they're not worth anything, I'm now glad to have them since I try to put together some coins and medals from the French revolution.

Here are both, they are 21 mm, and 6.00 grams for bronze and 6.45 grams for silver. They're also available in gold

Q

 

Edited December 5, 2024 by Qcumbor

[Al Kowsky]

On 12/3/2024 at 6:22 PM, DonnaML said:

As some of you may remember, it's been my annual tradition since the Coin Talk days -- mostly because I'm bad at narrowing things down! -- to post several Top 10 lists each year: one each for Roman Republican, Imperial, and Provincial coins, and one or more for World coins and medals, sometimes further divided into British, French, etc.

I plan to do the same this year, even though the total number of coins and medals of all kinds that I bought in 2024 was, for budgetary reasons, far lower than in any of the previous several years. Also, unlike in some previous years, I didn't buy any single coin or medal in 2024 that cost as much as four figures. Not that I need to apologize for spending less money! I like everything I'm posting regardless of what it cost.

For World coins and medals, I'm posting only one list this year: three coins to start, and then seven medals. In chronological order rather than in order of purchase, or in any order of preference. As always, my apologies in advance for the sometimes extremely lengthy footnotes!

Coins:

1.  This coin was an addition to my very small collection of English silver coins (most of them hammered) issued prior to the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. It has scratches and much of the legend is no longer readable (possibly because of an old mounting), but I think the portrait is considerably better than the average for the type:

James I, AR Shilling, Third Coinage, Sixth (large) bust (1619-1625), mm. Lis (12 o’clock on both sides) (used 1623-1624; see Spink pp. 274 & 282). Obv. Crowned bust right with long, curly hair and projecting, square cut beard, • IACOBVS D : G : MAG: BRI: FRA: ET HIB: REX [James by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland]; value XII in left field [for 12 d. in shilling] / Rev. Royal arms quartered in shield within circle, legend around, QUAE DEUS CONIVNXIT NEMO SEPARET [AE ligate] [What God hath joined let no man put asunder]. S. 2668 (ill. p. 282) [Spink, Standard Catalogue of British Coins, Coins of England & the United Kingdom, Pre-Decimal Issues, 57^th Edition (2022)]; KM # 59 [Tracy L. Schmidt (ed.), Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 7^th Edition (Krause 2018); Coincraft’s Standard Catalogue of English & UK Coins 1066 to Date (London 1999), No. J1SH-30 (ill. p. 232). 30 mm, 5.79 g, 11 h.  Purchased 16 Jul 2024 from Leu Numismatik AG, Winterthur, Switzerland, Web Auction 30, 13-16 Jul 2024, Lot 3959 (“from the collection of a Swiss scholar, formed over the past thirty years”; scratches and traces of mounting noted).

2. I've always thought that the "Wild Man" silver coins minted in Germany in the 16th-early 19th centuries (I believe mostly in the various states in the vicinity of  Brunswick/Braunschweig and Lüneburg in today's Lower Saxony) looked interesting. But I never got around to buying one until this year. Entirely by coincidence, the coin I bought happens to have been issued by the future King George I of Great Britain, albeit at a time when he was merely Georg Ludwig, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. So I think I can legitimately consider it to be an adjunct to my collection of British coins and medals!

German States, Brunswick [Braunschweig]-Lüneburg-Calenberg-Hannover, Georg Ludwig  (1660-1727), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg & Prince-Elector of Holy Roman Empire 1698-1727 [also King George I of Great Britain & Ireland 1714-1727], AR 24 Mariengroschen (2/3 Thaler) 1707, Zellerfeld Mint, Lower Saxony. Obv. Bearded, hairy Wild Man (Wilder Mann), wearing loincloth and cap made of leaves and branches, standing facing, head turned slightly to left, upon fields dotted with tiny trees, holding large uprooted tree in right hand; above, motto IN RECTO DECUS. [Honor in Doing Right]; in lower right field, the number 24 [value in Mariengroschen] / Rev. In five lines within circle, *XXIIII* [Value] | MARIEN | GROSCH [Denomination] | V.FEIN.SILB: [fractional silver mark value] | *** (three stars) [privy mark for Zellerfeld Mint]; around, * GEORG . LUD : D : G : D : BR : & L : S : R : I : ELECT : 1707.  36 mm., 13.06 g. KM-15, p. 267 [Standard Catalog of German Coins 1501-Present (Krause Publications, 3rd ed. 2011)]; Welter 2158 [Gerhard Welter, Die Münzen der Welfen seit Heinrich dem Löwen (3 v., Braunschweig: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1971-78); Davenport 423 [Davenport, J. S., German Talers 1700-1800 (Galesburg 1958)]. Purchased 15 Jan. 2024 from Manfred Olding Münzhandlung, Osnabrück, Germany.*

*Anyone who wants to learn about the "Wild Man" myth in general, and its representation in works of art since medieval times, can go to https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_Wild_Man_Medieval_Myth_and_Symbolism and download a free pdf of a 1980 book, published in connection with an exhibition at The Cloisters, entitled The Wild Man: Medieval Myth and Symbolism, by Timothy Husband. There are only a couple of coins illustrated and discussed at length (see pp. 161-162, concerning two 16th century talers of Heinrich IX the Younger) but the book is interesting nonetheless.

3. The  only World gold coin I bought this year, completing my tiny "type set" of one gold coin issued by each of the three Kaisers of the unified German Empire that existed from 1871-1918.

German Empire, Preußen. Wilhelm I, AV 10 marks 1872A (Berlin Mint) (First issue). Obv. Bare head of Wilhelm I right, WILHELM DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG V. PREUSSEN; Mintmark A below / Rev. Crowned Imperial Eagle, head left, DEUTSCHES – REICH around; mark of value 10 – M. below eagle’s claws; beneath, date 18 – 72. 19.5 mm., 3.98 g. KM 502 p. 954 [N. Douglas Nicol, Standard Catalog of German Coins 1501-Present (Krause Pub., 3^rd ed. 2011)]; Jaeger 242 [Kurt Jaeger, Die deutschen Münzen seit 1871 (28^th ed., Regenstauf 2024)]. Purchased on MA-Shops from Münzzentrum-Dürr, Niederwürschnitz, Saxony, 12 Nov 2024.

Medals:

4 & 5.  Two Silver Counters of James I and Prince Charles, issued 1616-1620 & 1628 by the van der Passe family.

I purchased these at separate auctions; the footnote applies to both. Both depict James I on the obverse. The first depicts a  young Prince Charles on the reverse, and the second  -- actually issued after the death of James I -- shows Charles approximately a decade later, with a beard.

Photos:

4.  

5.  

Descriptions:

4.  England, James I and Prince Charles, AR Counter (cast or struck with possible engraving/chasing thereafter, see fn.), 1616-1620, van der Passe [also spelled de Passe] workshop, London, probably designed by the engraver Simon van der Passe (b. ca. 1585 in Utrecht, Netherlands, worked in London ca. 1616-1622, d. 1644 in Denmark).  Obv. Bust of King James (three-quarters right) in broad-brimmed hat with jewel attached to brim, wearing lace ruff, ermine robes, and chain of Order of the Garter; around from 1:00, legend • GIVE THY IUDGEMENTS O GOD UNTO THE KING [“HE” in “THE” ligate; N in “KING” partially hidden and G completely hidden behind King’s hat] / Rev. Young bust of Prince Charles (three-quarters right), bareheaded and clean-shaven, wearing lace ruff and riband for medal; around from 1:00, legend AND THY RIGHTEOUSNESSE UNTO THE KINGS SONNE [“HE” in “THE” ligate; NE partially hidden behind Prince's head]. 27 mm., 2.32 g. Mitchiner 3 Ch. 77.1, Type “a,” Nos. 4767-4775 at pp. 1661-1662 (ill. at same) [Michael Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets and Tokens, Vol. 3, British Isles circa 1558 to 1830 (1998)]; MI i 272 p. 376, ill. Pl. xxxiv, no. 1 (rev. ill. var., with beard) [Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I p. 376, No. 272 (London, 1885, reprinted 1969; Plate volume 1911, reprinted 1979)]; Farquhar, Helen, “Silver counters of the seventeenth century,” Numismatic Chronicle, 4th Series, Vol. XVI, at pp. 133−93, ill. Pl. V Nos. 2 (obv.) & 1 (rev.) (1916); Eimer 174 (p. 50), obv. ill. Pl. 21  [Christopher Eimer, British Commemorative Medals and their Values (Spink, 2nd ed. 2010)]. Purchased from Spink USA, Auction 394, 31 Jan 2024, Lot 171.*

5. England, James I and Prince Charles, AR Counter (cast or struck with possible engraving/chasing thereafter, see fn.), ca. 1628, van der Passe [also spelled de Passe] workshop, London (probably designed by Simon van der Passe’s brother, the engraver Willem a/k/a William van der Passe [b. ca. 1597/98], who remained in England from 1620/21 until his death in 1637, whereas Simon returned to the Netherlands in 1622 and moved to Copenhagen in 1625. Their father and brother, both named Crispin/Crispijn and both also engravers, never worked in England.) Obv. Bust of King James (three-quarters right) in broad-brimmed hat with jewel attached to brim, wearing lace ruff, ermine robes, and chain of Order of the Garter; around from 1:00, legend GIVE THY IVDGEMENTS O GOD UNTO THE KING [“V” not “U” in IVDGEMENTS; “HE” in “THE” ligate; N in “KING” partially hidden and G completely hidden behind King’s hat] / Rev. Mature bust of Prince Charles (three-quarters right), bareheaded with prominent mustache and beard down to top edge of ruff; wearing lace ruff and riband for medal; around from 1:00, legend AND THY RIGHTEOVSNESSE UNTO THE KINGS SONN [“V” not “U” in “RIGHTEOVSNESSE”; “HE” in “THE” ligate; no “E” at end of “SONN”]. 26.26 mm., 2.64 g. Mitchiner 3 Ch. 77.1, Type “c,” No. 4784 at p. 1664 (ill. at same) [Michael Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets and Tokens, Vol. 3, British Isles circa 1558 to 1830 (1998)]; MI i 272 p. 376 (rev. var., see note stating that “Varieties of the above counter give older portraits of Prince Charles, having a beard”), ill. Pl. xxxiv, no. 1 (rev. ill. var.) [Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I p. 376, No. 272 (London, 1885, reprinted 1969; Plate volume 1911, reprinted 1979)]; Farquhar, Helen, “Silver counters of the seventeenth century,” Numismatic Chronicle, 4th Series, Vol. XVI, at pp. 133−93, ill. Pl. V Nos. 2 (obv.) & 3 (rev.) (1916).  Purchased from Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Osnabrück, Germany, Auction 401, 5 Feb. 2024, Lot 1100.*

Footnote, applicable to both:

*Silver counters depicting James I and Prince Charles  -- as well as counters depicting Charles I & Queen Henrietta Maria, Gustavus Adolphus & Maria Eleanora, and two later series of 36 different counters each, issued in the 1630s, depicting the sovereigns of England beginning with Edward I in both full-length and half-length versions -- “were used as markers or counters ‘for reckoning and for play.’ They appear to have been issued in sets of thirty-six, composed either of pieces of different types or of repetitions of the same type. Some of these counters were executed by Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller, goldsmith, and engraver to Elizabeth, and afterwards to James I. From the latter, Hilliard received in 1617 a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family, and in virtue of this patent he sold licences to other engravers to execute these counters. Simon [van der] Passe and his brother [Willem/William], both of whom excelled in the art of engraving, are said to have received such licences. The period over which the issue of these pieces ranges is from 1616 to 1638, the earlier date corresponding with that when Simon Passe commenced his portraits of various members of the Royal Family and others.” Medallic Illustrations Vol. I, op. cit., pp. 375-376.

Specifically with respect to the counters depicting James I (reigned 1603-1625) on the obverse and Prince Charles (later Charles I from 1625-1649) on the reverse, Mitchiner’s book (see p. 1661) summarizes Helen Farquhar’s 1916 study in the Numismatic Chronicle Vol. XVI as concluding that “the portraits of King James and Prince Charles on the counters bore close resemblance to contemporary painted portraits. She also considered that progressive maturation in the portrait of Prince Charles,” including adding a beard to the earliest, clean-shaven portrait, “indicated that these counters had been manufactured through a period of several years -- during 1616-1625, and with a later re-issue in 1628.” Mitchiner adds (id.) that “Helen Farquhar has produced a good case for considering that those counters bearing the portraits of King James and Prince Charles were first produced . . . in 1616,” when Charles was 16 years old. “This exempted the counters of Simon van der Passe from the prohibition of 1617 made in favor of Nicholas Hilliard. The school of Simon van der Passe continued producing their counters for several years. After Simon had returned to Holland in 1621/22, the school in London was managed by his brother William van der Passe. He worked there from 1620, or 1621, until his death in 1637.”

At pp. 1661-1664, Mitchiner classifies the James I/Prince Charles counters into three groups as follows: “The main types of these counters, slightly simplified from the views put forward by Helen Farquhar, can be placed within three groups whose portraiture of Prince Charles spans the period circa 1616 to 1628,” with the portraits of James I on the obverse remaining essentially unchanged. Mitchiner describes the three groups as “a. Prince Charles clean shaven: 1616−c.1620, . . . . b. Prince Charles has a moustache and a beard: circa 1620−1625, . . . . c. Prince Charles has a more mature portrait, with larger moustache and beard: c.1628” (i.e., after the death of James I and the ascension of Charles I to the throne in 1625), with the final portrait of Charles apparently copied from an engraving of that year. (Id. p. 1664, citing Farquhar’s article; see Numismatic Chronicle XVI at p. 165 & n. 55, referring to an “exact prototype in an engraving probably of the year 1628, by W. J. Delff after Mytens.”)

As noted in the descriptions of my two counters above, and as is clear from the two photos, the reverses fall into Mitchiner’s categories “a” and “c” respectively. Both types are illustrated in Plate V to Farquhar’s article, as nos. “1” and “3,” respectively.

By contrast, here is an example of a counter with the type “b” reverse (not mine), sold by St. James Auctions on 27 June 2016 (found on acsearch; see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=3174513 ) :

Even apart from the fact that Charles’s beard on type “c” is considerably longer than the one on type “b” -- extending all the way down to the top edge of his ruff -- the easiest ways to distinguish type “c” from type “b” are the absence of the single line present in “b” dividing the ruff down the middle, and the fact that the legends for type “c” use “V” for “U” in two places (once on the obverse and once on the reverse), whereas type “b” (like type “a”) uses “U” throughout.

As Eimer explains at p. 50, all types of the small James I/Prince Charles silver counters are “in extremely low relief and similar in execution to the oval medals produced [in 1616] by Simon van der Passe.” The reference is to the earlier series of large 50 mm. x 63 mm. [2” x 2.5”] oval plaques of James I and the rest of the Royal Family, issued by van der Passe in 1616 in silver and gold, as described in Medallic Illustrations Vol. I  at pp. 214-218, Nos. 61-63, 66-69. See these examples of the James I oval plaque in silver, and the Prince Charles oval plaque in gold, sold by  Baldwin's of St. James's in 2019 for $5,331 (see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6055775), and by Künker in 2022 for $72,150 (see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=9948190), respectively:

 

 

The manner of execution of the small silver counters like the two I purchased “has been the subject of much debate, with MI [Medallic Illustrations] suggesting it to be by means of striking, in imitation of engraving; while a paper by Helen Farquhar (1916 [see full citation above] was unable to arrive at any firm conclusions.” Eimer p. 50. (Farquhar concluded after microscopic examination that some of the counters were struck and others cast.) Eimer continues: “The technical difficulties associated with preparing dies able to withstand the striking of a relatively large number of medals of this kind are such that this does not really offer itself as a realistic option. Comparing examples of the same medal suggest that neither can hand engraving be considered an alternative, and they are almost certainly fine quality casts.” Id. See also Mark Jones, “The Technique of Simon van de Passe reconsidered,” Numismatic Chronicle, Vol. 143 at pp. 227-230 & Plates 44-46 (1983) (see https://www.jstor.org/stable/42665184), concluding after microscopic examination of various specimens of the James I/Prince Charles counters in the British Museum collection that “while de Passe engraved the models for his medals and, on occasion, directly engraved medals not intended for reproduction; the reproductive technique used in his workshop was neither stamping in imitation of engraving, nor engraving, whether or not assisted by transfers [from portrait prints], but simple casting” -- which was nonetheless “very skilful casting, of the order seen in contemporary work by Guillaume Dupré and others, and presumably followed by a polishing process which produced the ‘clean and sharp’ surface referred to by [G.F.] Hill.” Jones, op. cit. at p. 230 & n. 18 (citing G.F. Hill, “The Technique of Simon Van de Passe,” Numismatic Chronicle, 4^th Series, Vol. XV pp. 230-242 (1915)).

However, despite citing the 1983 Jones article, Mitchiner, writing in 1998, continues to maintain (contrary to both Jones and Eimer) that “Counters of this series were manufactured by striking with dies and subsequently refining some details by engraving (chasing), especially on the later counters in the series.” See Mitchiner, p. 1661. See also Colin Narbeth, “Silver gambling counters of the Simon van de Passe School,” Casino Chip and Token News, pp. 58-59 at p. 59 (April-June 2003) (“Many numismatists disagree” with Jones, on the ground that “the quality and sharpness of work on such thin flans mitigates against the casting processes available at the time”). Finally, an article by Penny Davies, “Peter Oliver and Simon De Passe,” British Numismatic Journal Vol. 87 pp. 254-258 (2017) (available at https://www.britnumsoc.org/images/PDFs/BNJ_2017/15q_Short_Articles_184_-_Davies.pdf), in proposing a portrait miniature of Prince Charles by the artist Peter Oliver as the possible prototype for counter type “b,” takes an intermediate view, citing both Jones’s and Mitchiner’s positions on the method of manufacture of the van der Passe counters, but pointing out at p. 255 that even if the counters were, in fact, all the product of casting, “[t]hese cast counters could equally have been subsequently refined by engraving and chasing.”

6.  Most Dutch historical and commemorative medals from the 16th and 17th centuries are extremely expensive and unaffordable to me, but this one was an exception. It's a small medal minted in Rotterdam in the Netherlands to celebrate the joint coronation in 1689 of William, Prince of Orange as William III, King of England, together with his wife -- and first cousin -- Mary as Queen.  (William's mother was a sister of Mary's father, the deposed King James II.)

Netherlands, AR William III (& Mary II) of England, Coronation Festivities at Rotterdam, 1689. Obv. In foreground, City Shield of Rotterdam, resting against a palm tree and supported by two lions; on a band beneath, ROTERODAMUM; in background, city view of Rotterdam, with the River Meuse and its shipping in front / Rev. People seated at a feast, in front of a triumphal arch inscribed PRINCIPI PATRIAE QUE S. C. [To the Prince and our country, by order of the senate], and decorated above with a crowned bust of William III, facing with head turned slightly to right; in foreground to left, the city’s statue of Erasmus; in exergue, 1689. 30 x 31 mm., 9.72 g. MI i, pp. 678-679 no. 55, ill. Pl. LXXIII no. 6 [Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I (1885, reprinted by Spink 1969; Plate volume 1911, reprinted by Spink 1979)]; Michael Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets & Tokens Vol. II, The Low Countries and France 2658 p. 849 (ill. same) (London 1991). Purchased 30 Jan 2024 from Daniel Zufahl Münzen & Medaillen Numis Matic, Munich, Germany.*

*The traditional interpretation of this type is set forth at MI I, p. 679: “The coronation of William III was celebrated with great rejoicings at most of the principal towns in the United Provinces. At Rotterdam a great dinner was given in the place where the statue of Erasmus is erected, and this small medal was distributed upon the occasion.”  However, as @AnYangMan explained in a comment when I originally posted this medal (see https://www.numisforums.com/topic/5964-my-first-dutch-historical-medal-coronation-of-william-iii-of-england/#comment-78163 ), "In fact, in traditional Dutch numismatics, this medal does not even fall under the term of ‘historiepenningen’ (historical medals)! It instead is a so-called ‘vroedschapspenning’ or as they are known in English city-council tokens. People serving in the city council, both the ‘Burgemeesters’,  ‘schepenen’ and the secretaries, received financial compensation whenever they attended city council meetings. Initially this was paid out directly once a year, which required thorough and detailed administration. So instead, towards the end of the 17th century, quite a few Dutch cities switched to a system of using silver tokens. For every meeting, the attending members would receive a token. In Rotterdam, the ‘burgemeesters’ (mayors) received a slightly larger token worth 24 stuivers, while the other members of the vroedschap (city-council) would receive a smaller one worth 18 stuivers. They could either be used for ordering wine during these meetings or exchanged with the city-treasurer for actual circulating coinage. Though in many cases, member also kept examples, as they quickly became prestige objects!

The idea to start producing Vroedschapspenningen for use in Rotterdam came in September 1688. One of the great Dutch artists of the late 17th century, Romeyn de Hooghe (1645-1708), was asked to design them. The letter he sent the city-council in January 1689 is still preserved in the city archives, showing some interesting alternative versions. Unfortunately, it seems to not have been digitized yet. 

These vroedschapspenningen were very much a symbol of local pride within the upper circles. Hence why they have strong local imagery; those from Haarlem depict the saw-ship of Damiate, Gouda’s shows three important historical figures in their history, Alkmaar references their role in the eighty years’ war, etc. Rotterdam naturally had to depict Erasmus and being one of the most pro-Orange cities in the republic, had to make a small reference to William III. The scene on the obverse is not meant to depict a banquet, but rather an idealized/classicized city council meeting, with all the 18 members of the vroedschap depicted in Roman togas.

The tokens themselves were struck in the mint in Dordrecht, where the dies were cut by master engraver Daniel Drappentier (1643-1714). Two pairs of dies were cut, of which 3 individual dies are still kept in Rotterdam. In total, 1200 large medals for the mayors and 3000 small medals for the rest of the vroedschap were struck. While the designs of these two varieties only shows minor differences, the diameter is often decisive. Yours for example, is one of the 3000 smaller pieces. Tokens with this design were first handed out in the meeting of 26 September 1689 and continued to be used until 1705, when a new token, also struck in Dordrecht, was introduced.

So while not so much a medal commemorating the coronation of William III, an incredibly fascinating piece of Dutch local history and certainly a piece of art!" 

After reading an article that @AnYangMan recommended to me on this subject, I posted the following: I have reviewed (in translation) the 1888 Unger article -- which came out three years after Medallic Illustrations was published in 1885, with its story of coronation festivities -- and doing some further research, it's obvious that you're correct that the story of the 1689 Rotterdam medal being issued in connection with such a coronation feast for William III is entirely fictional. However, by stating that Rotterdam, "being one of the most pro-Orange cities in the republic, had to make a small reference to William III," and that the medal is "not so much a medal commemorating the coronation of William III," I believe you may be underplaying the connection of the medal to the coronation that same year, and understating the desire of the city council (as opposed to a feeling of compulsion) to commemorate that event, and honor the fact that William was now King in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Therefore, I will still classify this medal as serving as a "coronation medal" as its secondary purpose, in addition to its primary function as a token serving as substitute compensation to city council members for their attendance at meetings, in lieu of attendance fees.

I think the key to my interpretation is the fact that none of the proposed designs originally submitted by de Hooghe in January 1689, before the April 1689 coronation, depicted William at all -- let alone William crowned as King, as did the final version issued after the coronation, even though he wasn't a "king" in the Netherlands. The proposed designs also gave far more prominence to the Erasmus statue than did the final version.

See the discussion of the medal in a recent article about a proposed map that de Hooghe created: Laurien Van Der Werff , "Rotterodamum: Romeyn de Hooghe’s Rejected Map of Rotterdam Rediscovered," The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, Vol. 69, No. 2 (2021), pp. 122-143 at pp. 128-129 (available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/27020084?read-now= ) : 

Here are the original sketches. Note the absence of William's image (crowned or otherwise) and the placement of the statue of Erasmus in the center rather than off to the side as in the final version:

See also this excerpt from an 1888 article by J.H.W. [Johan Hendrik Willem] Unger, "De vroedschappspenningen van Rotterdam," Rotterdams Jaarbockje 1 (1888), pp. 169-195,  at the link provided by @AnYangMan (see https://rjb.x-cago.com/GARJB/1888/12/18881231/GARJB-18881231-0175/story.pdf ) :

After describing the five preliminary sketches submitted by De Hooghe, the author states (as translated), that "If one now compares these five designs with the medal, one sees that important changes have been made, and so if the executed design actually comes from Romein de Hooghe, he must have supplied a completely different drawing. Nothing can be found about this in the archives."  At p. 174, Unger then discusses the final version of the medal:

In (very rough!) translation:

"On the medal, as it was minted in 1689 (1) [fn. omitted],
Rotterdam is depicted in the distance on one side, seen from the Maas side, and in the foreground below a palm tree, her crowned coat of arms, by two lions held, under which a ribbon reads: «Roterodamum». On the other side in the foreground a statue of Erasmus, on the second plane[?] a meeting of 18 [sic] people dressed in Roman costume, and in the background an honorary gate, which bears an inscription: «Principi Patriaeque», d. i. “To the Prince and Our Country." Above the honorary gate is a laurel wreath with various attributes and a bust of King William III. In the distance between the bar you see water with ships. Between the columns the letters: S.C., d. i. Senatus Consulto; at the bottom of the medal the year 1689. That the stadtholder, who recently was crowned King of England, was given a place of honor on this medal, is proof of how much the Vroedschap [City Council] of Rotterdam, where the English trade particularly flourished, was pleased with the elevation of the prince of Orange (2).  (Emphasis added.) [Fn 2 cites Gerard Van Loon Vol III p. 420.]

See also Gerard Van Loon, Beschryving Der Nederlandsche Historipenningen, etc. [Description of the Dutch Historical Medals], Vol. III p. 420 (1728) (available at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Beschryving_der_Nederlandsche_Historipen/A5FMAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover ), placing this medal within the series of medals commemorating the coronation of William III & Mary II:

So I am comfortable with continuing to characterize the medal as being connected to the coronation, at least as its secondary purpose.

7.  A French uniface medal commemorating the Siege of the Bastille.

France, Louis XVI, Bronzed Pewter or PB (Lead) Uniface Cliché Medallion, Siege of the Bastille, 14 July 1789, by Bertrand Andrieu (second state variety; see 2nd fn.). Obv. A large crowd of citizens armed with cannon, muskets, and bayonets, among them soldiers of the Garde Française, besiege the Bastille and its towers, which loom over them partly covered with smoke from the guns, with only a small number of defenders, visible atop the towers, firing upon them; the chains of the drawbridge have been broken, and the besiegers pour through the entrance to the bridge at the right; barrels of powder and several dead revolutionaries lie in the foreground among the gunners; above, SIEGE DE LA BASTILLE; in exergue in three lines, PRISE PAR LES CITOYENS DE | LA VILLE DE PARIS | LE 14. JUET. [Juillet] 1789; beneath the exergue line, with another line below as border, signed ANDRIEU F. [fecit] to left, and No. 1 to right [as first of planned series]* / Rev. None [uniface]. 85 mm., 84.87 g. Hennin 23 pp. 16-17 (second state variety)** [Michel Hennin, Histoire numismatique de la révolution française . . . depuis l'ouverture des Etats-généraux jusqu'à l'établissement du gouvernement consulaire (Paris 1826)]; Trésor de Numismatique (“T.N.”) Vol. 13, No. 6.5 p. 8, ill. Planche VI No. 5 (second state variety) [Paul Delaroche, Henriquel Dupont & Charles Lenormant, eds., Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique Fol. 13, Médailles de la Révolution Française, 5 Mai 1789 - 18 Mai 1804 (1836), available at Google Books]; CGMP Vol. I 312D (ill. p. 313) (second state variety) [Catalogue général illustré des éditions de la Monnaie de Paris, Vol. I, De L’Antiquité à Louis XVI (1977)]; Jones p. 99 (ill. fig. 253) (second state variety) [Mark Jones, The Art of the Medal (British Museum 1979)]; Julius 13-14 pp. 1-2 (ill. Taf. 1) (second state variety) [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]; Benjamin Weiss Collection BW 393 (second state variety) [see photo & description at http://www.historicalartmedals.com/MEDAL%20WEB%20ENTRIES/FRANCE/NAPOLEONIC%20MEDALS/ANDRIEU-SIEGE%20OF%20BASTILLE-BW393%20HIGH.htm]; Jean Babelon, La Médaille et Les Médailleurs (Paris 1927), p. 195 (ill. Pl. XXXV No. 5) (second state variety); Jean Babelon & Jean Roubier, Portraits en Médailles (Paris 1946), pp. 79, 82 (ill. Planche XXXVI) (second state variety). Purchased Jan. 20 2024 from Stephane de Jaeger, Heuland, Normandie, France.

The medal is now on display on a stand in my living room, together with my other uniface French medals by Bertrand Andrieu. I decided that the storming of the Bastille at the beginning of the Revolution belongs in the foreground, with Napoleon looming behind, the future awaiting.

*Andrieu completed only one more medal in the planned series, commemorating the 6 October 1789 “Arrival of the King in Paris.” (See Hennin 62, Julius 54, Trésor de numismatique 13.2, Weiss BW395.)

**I have been unable to find a photo of a specimen struck from the first state of the die. Such specimens are apparently rare, because Andrieu lightly retouched the die -- which was never hardened, because it was used only for striking uniface clichés in pewter or lead -- shortly after the first state was published in early January 1790, in order to create the second state variety. (See Hennin p. 16.) All the descriptions and illustrations in the various books and catalogs cited above are of the second state variety -- the same variety as my specimen -- except in Hennin, which describes but does not illustrate the second state. Here is an engraving in Hennin, at Pl. 3, of the first-state medal, the only such illustration I have found:

As explained in both Hennin and T.N. (which describes both varieties but illustrates only the second state) -- one book published in 1826 and the other in 1836 -- the primary difference between the two states of the die is in the depiction of the building in front of the far-right tower of the Bastille, slightly to the right of the medal’s center. In the first state, as seen in the engraving, the slanted roof of the building is largely visible, and beneath it one can see five windows in the building’s top story, and two windows in the next story below. To create the second state (represented by my specimen), Andrieu retouched the die so that only two windows and part of a third in the top story of the building are visible. The other windows in the top story, the windows in the story beneath, and the roof of the building, are now covered above and below with smoke from the guns. See Hennin pp. 16-17, T.N. p. 8. (A different, unsigned medal, imitative of Andrieu’s first state, with a different legend in the exergue referring to the “EPOQUE DU 14 JUILLET 1789” [see Hennin 24, Trésor de Numismatique 6.6, Julius 15] is relatively common.)

8.  A medal from 1793 -- struck in England and designed by a German medallist obviously sympathetic to the French royal family -- depicting the execution of Louis XVI as a terrible event, but nonetheless capturing some of the excitement of the moment:

France, AE Execution of Louis XVI, 1793, by Conrad Heinrich Küchler. Struck at Matthew Boulton’s Soho mint, Birmingham, UK.

Obv. Conjoined busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette right; around beginning at 8:00, LUD•XVI D:G•FR•ET NAV•REX•MAR•ANT•AUSTR•REG• (Ludovicus decimu - sextus Dei gratiâ Franciæ et Navarræ rex. Maria Antonia Austriaca regina. = Louis XVI, by the grace of God, King of France and of Navarre. Marie Antoinette Queen of Austria.); beneath busts, FATI INIQUI ("By an Unjust Fate"); on bust truncation of King, C.H.K. (initials of C.H. Küchler) /

Rev. View of the Place de la Révolution [now the Place de la Concorde] in Paris, filled with citizens and troops, at the moment after the execution of Louis XVI; on the scaffold in the middle of the square, the executioner, Charles Henri Sanson, stands to the left of the guillotine holding up the head of Louis XVI by the hair, displaying it to the surrounding crowd; two other persons stand on the scaffold, one pointing to Sanson and the other looking at the crowd with his arms folded; two banners rise from the crowd at the front of the square, the one to the left reading DROIT [droits] DE L'HOMME (“the Rights of Man”), and the other, to the right, depicting a fasces surmounted by the cap of Liberty and a set of scales, with the words VIVRE LIBR [libres] (“Live Free”) at the bottom; around, within a banderole, CRINEMQUE ROTANTES SANGUINEUM POPULIS ULULARUNT TRISTLA GALLI • (from Pharsalia by Lucan, Book 1, verses 566-567; = “shaking their bloody locks, the Gauls [the French] frightened the people with their mournful howls” [from French translation of legend found in Hennin and Trésor de Numismatique, infra], OR = “And Gauls, shaking blood-red locks, howled evil tidings to the world” [translation by George F. Hill found in British Museum Guide to the Exhibition of Historical Medals, infra], OR = “the Galli (priests of Cybele) whirled their gory locks, shrieking ruin to the nations” [translation of verses in Lucan at https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/PharsaliaImaster.php]); in exergue, in two lines, XXI JANUARIUS | ANNO MDCCXCIII; within exergue lines, “P.” ( = Philippe, an engraver at the Soho Mint; see Hennin p. 316).

51 mm., 70.91 g.

References:

Hennin 465 pp. 315-316 (ill. Planche 45) [Michel Hennin, Histoire numismatique de la révolution française . . . depuis l'ouverture des Etats-généraux jusqu'à l'établissement du gouvernement consulaire (Paris 1826)]*;

Trésor de Numismatique (“T.N.”) Vol. 13, No. 40.5 p. 47, ill. Planche XL No. 5 [Paul Delaroche, Henriquel Dupont & Charles Lenormant, eds., Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique Fol. 13, Médailles de la Révolution Française, 5 Mai 1789 - 18 Mai 1804 (1836), available at Google Books];

Julius 255 p. 16 [AE version] (AR version, No. 254, ill. Taf. 5) [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];

George F. Hill & G.C. Brooke, A Guide to the Exhibition of Historical Medals at the British Museum, No. 79 at pp. 122-123 (ill. Fig. 109 p. 122) (London 1924).

Purchased at Spink USA Auction 394, 31 Jan. 2024, Lot 108.

The Spink photo, which I don't think reflects the medal's actual chocolate brown color particularly well:

My own attempt to photograph the medal in a way that both shows the color a little better, and still allows one to see the details of the scene on the reverse:

*This is Hennin’s commentary on the medal, at p. 315:

A translation of the most salient portions:

“No medal was struck in France relating to the death of Louis XVI, during the years 1793 and 1794. The government of the time did not order one; and no one, as it is easy to imagine, conceived the idea of consecrating the memory of such an event with approving medals. . . . The medal described in this entry and the following ones . . . were struck outside France and widely distributed. The terrible impression produced by the death of the French monarch and the veneration which attached to his memory inspired the idea of these medals, and they were published in the principal capitals of Europe. Writings and newspapers of the time report that they were found in the pockets of enemy soldiers killed or captured [by the French], and especially in those of emigrants. One carried, as painful memories, these medals, of which a large number were struck, as we can judge by the following entries and by those which are found with the date of October 16 of the same year, for the medals relating to both the death of the King and that of the Queen. As soon as the Reign of Terror was over, and under the government of the Directorate, images of Louis XVI multiplied in France. No medals were struck [in France] in honor of this prince, because doing so would undoubtedly have encountered difficulties too great, but various clichés or repoussés were made. We will find four of these pieces described under Nos. 491 to 494. Under the Consulate, the portraits of Louis XVI became even more numerous.”

Küchler issued a companion medal after the execution of Marie Antoinette later that year, although that one is definitely less graphic, refraining from showing the actual event.

9. Proceeding through French history, an 1813 Napoleonic medal commemorating the Battle of Lutzen.

France, AE Medal, Battle of Lutzen [Lützen, Saxony-Anhalt], 2 May 1813. Artists: Obverse Alexis Joseph Depaulis; Reverse Nicholas Guy Antoine Brenet. Obv. Uniformed bust of Napoleon right in high relief, bareheaded, with high collar and large epaulette on shoulder [representing introduction of new military bust to replace Andrieu’s portrait, see Todd p. 159 and Zeitz p. 236]; above his head, a laurel wreath; around, NAPOLEON – EMP. ET ROI; beneath bust truncation in two lines, DENON. D. [direxit] | DEPAULIS. F. [fecit] / Rev. A Prussian cavalryman armed with sword and a Russian Cossack wearing long kaftan and armed with spear (point touching right rim) on horseback, fleeing right at full gallop from victorious French infantry, seen advancing right in the distance beneath them; in exergue in two lines, BATAILLE DE LUTZEN | II MAI MDCCCXIII; above exergue line to left, BRENET. 40 mm., 42.13 g. Trésor Numismatique 57.9 p. 111, ill. Planche LVII No. 9 [Paul Delaroche, Henriquel Dupont & Charles Lenormant, eds., Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique, Vol. 18, Collection de Médailles de L’Empire Français et de L’Empereur Napoleon (1840), available at gallica.bnf.fr & on Google Books]; Bramsen II 1229 p. 46 [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. II, 1810-1815 at p. 35 (Copenhagen 1907), available at Newman Numismatic Portal]; Zeitz 132 at p. 236, ill. p. 237  [Lisa & Joachim Zeitz, Napoleons Medaillen (Petersberg Imhof 2003)]; Todd p. 188, obv. ill. p. 159,  rev. ill. p. 190 & on book’s front cover [Richard A. Todd, Napoleon’s Medals: Victory to the Arts (The History Press, UK, 2009)]; David Thomason Alexander, A Napoleonic Medal Primer (2022), No. 147 (p. 148; ill. p. 149) (available at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/618630); Laskey CXXXII at pp. 217-220 [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]. Purchased from William Goetz, Mountainside, NJ, 12 Jan. 2024 (at NYINC 2024).*

*The May 1813 Battle of Lutzen [Lützen] in Saxony-Anhalt, about 10 km. southwest of Leipzig, in which Napoleon defeated an allied army of the Sixth Coalition -- not to be confused with the famous Battle of Lützen in the Thirty Years War in 1632 at a nearby site, resulting in the death of Gustavus Adolphus -- was one of Napoleon’s few (and temporary) military successes after the disastrous retreat from Moscow. For details of the battle and its aftermath, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_L%C3%BCtzen_(1813); see also Laskey, op. cit., at pp. 217-220. Although Napoleon won the day when the Prussians and Russians retreated, the lack of French cavalry prevented pursuit, and French casualties (some 20,000) were double those of the combined Allied forces. The same was true of Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Wurtchen (Bautzen) 18 days later, commemorated by Bramsen II 1232. According to the Wikipedia article, the “ferocity of these two battles prompted Napoleon to accept a temporary armistice on June 4 with Tsar Alexander and King Frederick William III. This agreement provided the allies the respite to organise and re-equip their armies and, perhaps more importantly, encouraged Britain to provide Russia and Prussia with war subsidies totalling seven million pounds. The financial security offered by this agreement was a major boon to the war effort against Napoleon. Another important result of the battle was that it encouraged Austria to join the allied Coalition upon the armistice's expiration, shifting the balance of power dramatically in the Coalition's favor.”

For a discussion of the new obverse portrait by Depaulis, see Zeitz p. 236: “Auf der Vorderseite ist ein neues Porträt von Napoleon eingeführt das der junge Medailleur Depaulis [1792-1867] 1813 schuf. Wie Andrieus klassischer Napoleon in der Art römischer Kaiserportraits, der so oft in der Serie alas Vorderseite auftaucht, ist die Darstellung stark idealisiert. Das Gesicht ist prall und glatt. Die Haare sind fast so kurze wie auf Andrieus Porträt, fallen aber strähniger. Das abgehobene Kaiserporträt bringt Depaulis dem Zeitgenossen durch die Uniform näher. Die gleiche Vorderseite weist auch die nächste Medaille auf. Für den Stempel der Medaillenrückseite erhielt Brenet 3,000 Francs.” [Translation via Google Translate: A new portrait of Napoleon, created by the young medalist Depaulis [1792-1867] in 1813, is introduced on the obverse. Like Andrieu's classic Napoleon in the style of Roman imperial portraits that so often appears on the obverse in the series, the depiction is highly idealized. The face is plump and smooth. The hair is almost as short as in Andrieu's portrait, but is more lank. The detached imperial portrait brings Depaulis closer to his contemporaries through the uniform. [Not sure what this means!] The next medal [for the Battle of Wurtchen] also has the same obverse. Brenet received 3,000 francs for the engraving on the reverse of the medal.]

10. Back to England for this one, a City of London medal. For those not familiar with these, the Corporation of the City of London issued a series of 30 large bronze medals between 1831 and 1902, celebrating occasions such as the opening of buildings and the reception of British and foreign royalty in the City. Except for the very early ones, they're mostly between 70 and 80 mm. in diameter. The mintages of all of them were quite low, around 400-500. They're all quite popular when available, because of their size, their scarcity, and the high skill with which they were made. Some have always been very expensive, such as those issued for the visits of the Czar of Russia and the Shah of Persia (both of which I once owned but sold). In addition, the ones with architectural reverses depicting building interiors in a way that appears three-dimensional have been selling for well over $1,000 recently, for whatever reason. (Unfortunately, I sold my couple of examples of those too, for a lot less than $1,000!) 

A rather elaborate book was published covering the first 26 of the 30, through 1893: Welch, Charles, Numismata Londinensia, Medals Struck by the Corporation of London to Commemorate Important Municipal Events, 1831 to 1893 (London 1894) ("Welch"). I have an original copy; here's the title page:

This website has photos and descriptions of all 30 of the City of London medals: http://www.historicalartmedals.com/...NAILS/CITY OF LONDON/brand new thumbnails.htm.

I once owned 10 of these 30 medals, but sold eight of them about a decade ago. In the last few years, I have bought five more (not all of them the same types I sold), giving me a total of seven. Here is my most recent purchase, which is one of the types I once sold, and has a reverse that gives the illusion of being three-dimensional, especially when viewed through a magnifying glass. It's No. 27 of 30, and the first one to be issued after Welch was published:

Great Britain, 1894, AE Commemorative Medal for the Corporation of the City of London (No. 27), Prince of Wales Opens Tower Bridge, by Frank Bowcher. Obv. Conjoined busts left of Queen Victoria, crowned and draped and wearing necklace, between Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in military regalia to right, and Alexandra, Princess of Wales, draped and wearing elaborate necklace to left. / Rev. View of Tower Bridge over River Thames from downstream South Bank, with the Bridge’s bascules raised, the Royal steam-yacht (HMY Victoria and Albert) passing underneath headed south, and buildings on North Bank visible in background; above, Bridge-House Estates Badge within branches; around from 10:00-3:00, legend TOWER BRIDGE OPENED 30^TH JUNE 1894; in exergue, shield with arms of City of London dividing four-line inscription ON BEHALF OF - HER MAJESTY | QUEEN - VICTORIA | BY - HRH | THE PRINCE OF WALES; above exergue line, F. BOWCHER FECIT. 77 mm., 241 g.  (450 specimens struck.) Eimer 1790 (p. 235), ill. Pl. 198 [Eimer, Christopher, British Commemorative Medals and their Values (Spink, 2nd ed. 2010)]; BHM II 3476 (p. 422) [Brown, Laurence, British Historical Medals Vol. II, 1837-1901 (Seaby 1987)]; Whittlestone & Ewing 1795.1 (p. 153) [Whittlestone, Andrew & Michael Ewing, Royal Commemorative Medals 1837-1977, Vol. 1, Queen Victoria 1837-1901 (2008)]; Fearon 345.1 (p. 79), ill. p. 175 [Fearon, Daniel, Spink’s Catalogue of British Commemorative Medals, 1558 to the Present Day (1984). Purchased from Noonans Mayfair, Ltd., London, UK, Auction 291, 5 Mar. 2024, Lot 1193.*

*See BHM II p. 422 fn.: “The decision to build a bascule bridge over the river Thames at Tower Hill was taken in 1884. Sir Horace Jones was appointed architect and John Wolfe-Barry the engineer. The upper, fixed bridge, 112 feet above the water was intended for pedestrians when the lower level bridge was opened and was served by lifts. Hydraulic machinery operated the lower bridges . . . The bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales on 30 June under a cloudless sky and watched by one of the largest crowds to gather on such an occasion. The Times correspondent at the scene described the opening of the bascules as ‘imposing in the same sense as a great convulsion of the natural world; it was an exhibition of resistless force which held the spectators spellbound and speechless.’ This medal won the first prize of 35 guineas in the competition to mark the occasion [citing a press advertisement announcing the competition appearing in the press on 2 October 1894, implying that the medal itself was not struck until 1895.] A full report of the [opening] event is to be found in The Times, 2 July 1894.’”

I know there aren't so many of you who are as interested in World coins and medals as in ancients -- I like them pretty much equally! -- but I hope you've enjoyed these nonetheless. If you want, you can choose a favorite in the accompanying poll. (I wanted to give the option of choosing up to three, but couldn't figure out how to do that. Nobody ever said I was smart.)

A great eclectic selection of goodies 🤩. I voted for the Napoleon Battle of Lutzen victory medal 😊.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

They're all very stately!

[savitale]

Great medals! I voted for the Execution of Louis XVI medal because it is pretty unusual to see a realistic depiction of an historical event like that on a coin or medal.

[Brennos]

Congratulations on these acquisitions ! I voted for "La prise de la Bastille" , of course 🙂
It's always a great pleasure to read your comments on your medals.

[panzerman]

Donna/ Great coins/ medals and your supberb historical follow up on these pieces of numismatic history. Congratulations!

That medal depicting executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are graphic but also tell the history of the event. Robespierre/ Marat were monsters and both met grisly ends.

John

[robinjojo]

That's a really nice and interesting mix of world coins and medals for this year!  I think the silver medal commemorating the coronation of William III and Mary II the most interesting both in terms of the fine die work and the historical context of the medal.  

[Di Nomos]

I always enjoy looking at and reading about your medals. From a child I've always loved Tower Bridge, so that is my favourite medal. But if I had to pick an overall favourite, the James I shilling is undoubtedly what I'd select.