Description

George II. 1727-1760. Silver Medal 1738, 60.10 g. Peace of Utrecht, 25th anniversary. By N. v. Swinderen. Belgium, accompanied by her Lion, is seated before the closed Temple of Janus; she holds in her left hand a book inscribed EUANGELIUM and in her right her spear, which is bound with palm and laurel branches, and bears the cap of Liberty; at her feet are arms and standards and a captive soldier: above is Fame with two trumpets, their flags inscribed IUBILATE XXV. V . LUSTR : FOED : BELG : PACE STABIL: In exergue: XI . APRIL . MDCCXXXVIII. Suspended from one bow of riband are the crowned shields of Britain, Austria, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, and Poland. ORBIS CHRISTIAN : QUIETE INTER SE COMPOSITA. Plain edge. 55.7 mm. Eimer 543. MI ii 525/85. van Loon Suppl. 127. Saunders/Vanhoudt 127. FDC / Mint State. Herrliche Patina / Most attractively toned.

From the auction Heidelberger Münzhandlung 18, Heidelberg, November 1996, lot 1342.

The Peace of Utrecht, concluded in 1713, was a series of treaties that ended the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 - 1714), one of the most significant conflicts in early 18th-century Europe. The peace negotiations involved multiple European powers and reshaped the political and territorial landscape of the continent. The treaties are named after the Dutch city of Utrecht, where many of the negotiations took place. Great Britain gained significant territories, including Gibraltar and Minorca from Spain, securing strategic naval bases in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, France ceded Newfoundland, Acadia (modern-day Nova Scotia), and Hudson Bay to Britain, strengthening British colonial power in North America.

The Protestant succession in Britain was secured, with the recognition of Queen Anne and the future Hanoverian succession (George I). Also, Louis XIV recognized the Hanoverian succession in Britain, abandoning support for the Jacobite claim of James Francis Edward Stuart. Britain secured the Asiento de Negros, a monopoly on the supply of African slaves to Spanish colonies, which became a lucrative source of income. The treaties marked the beginning of Britain's rise as a global superpower, with significant territorial gains and commercial advantages.