101246 | SPAIN & FRANCE. Hernán Cortés bronze Medal.

101246  |  SPAIN & FRANCE. Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano bronze Medal. Issued 1821. Series Numismatica Universalis Virorum Illustrium (41mm, 37.20 g, 12h). By Vivier & Durand in Paris.

 

HERNAN CORTES, draped and armored bust left, wearing ruffled collar / NATUS / METALLINI / IN HISPANIA / AN. M. CCCC. LXXXV. / OBIIT / AN. M. D. LI. in six lines. Edge: Plain.

 

Rulau S42; Fonrobert 7167. Gem Mint State. Rich brown surfaces, with a good deal of brilliance in the fields.

 

Born in Medellín, Spain in 1485, Cortés pursued a life of exploration as his native land continued their exploits in the New World. After a stint in Cuba, he led an expedition into the western mainland in what is now modern day Mexico, ultimately causing the downfall and conquest of the Aztec Empire (partially through the introduction of smallpox to the native population who had no natural immunity or prior exposure to it).

 

Sorry, this item is no longer available.