William III. 1694-1702. Gold Medal 1696, 9.42 g. Fortunes of James II. Unsigned. Bust, laureate and armoured. IACOB . II REX . M . BR. Rv. Crown upon a boat in a rough sea. FATO. In exergue: 1696. Plain edge. 26.3 mm. Eimer 368. MI ii 149/411. Sehr selten / Very rare. Vorzüglich / Extremely Fine. Leichter Doppelschlag und minimale Fassungsspuren / Slightly double struck and tiny traces of mounting.

After the Glorious Revolution, James II was received by his cousin and ally, Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension. He tried to regain the throne in 1689, but after its failure in 1691 he returned to France once again. In 1696, there was an attempt led by George Barclay to assassinate William III and to restore the rule of James to the throne, but the plot failed and the backlash made his cause even less popular.

The reverse shows an emblematical representation of the fortunes of James, who was tossed about in an ocean of adversity.