SINCONA Auction 96
SINCONA British Collection - Part 6
(British Gold and Silver Medals)
Bid
| Starting price | 150 CHF |
| Opening bid | 150 CHF |
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Description
Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. Silver Medal 1589, 10.51 g. Defeat of the Spanish Armada, Thanksgiving. Unsigned. Elizabeth seated in a car holds a palm branch and a prayer book inscribed with the beginning of the Lord's Prayer in Dutch ONSE VADER IN DEN HEMEL UWEN NAEM WERD GEHEY . In the legend . TANDEM . BONA . CAVSA TRIVMPHAT . 1589. Rv. In a tree a nest of young birds defending themselves against a bird of prey; across the tree, BELLV NECESS . In the Legend . SI NON . VIRIBVS . AT . CAVSA POTIORES . Plain edge. 29.5 mm. Eimer 63. MI i 153/128. van Loon I, 388,2. Saunders/Vanhoudt 1588-18. Selten / Rare. Vorzüglich / Extremely Fine. Kleine Kratzer / Small scratches.
From the auction Spink USA 9800, New York, December 2001, lot 2.
The Spanish Armada was a fleet sent by catholic King Philip II of Spain to invade England, overthrow protestant Queen Elizabeth I and avenge the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1587. The attack ended in disaster for Spain due to a combination of English naval tactics, bad weather, and logistical failures.
The victory boosted English morale and established England as a major naval power on one hand and marked a decline in Spanish dominance and strengthened Protestant England on the other. However, the war between England and Spain continued, leading to the English Counter-Armada in 1589.
This medal, struck in Holland the year after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, alludes probably to the Queen's solemn procession in a triumphal car to St. Paul's, to return public thanks.