102621 | GREAT BRITAIN. Defeat of the Spanish Armada bronze Jeton.

102621  |  GREAT BRITAIN, SPAIN & NETHERLANDS. Defeat of the Spanish Armada bronze Jeton. Issued 1589 for the thanksgiving following the English victory (29mm, 6.19 g, 2h). Of uncertain Dutch manufacture.

 

· TANDEM · BONA · CAVSA · TRIVMPHAT ·, female figure seated left in carriage, holding large quill and open book inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer in Dutch // · SI · NON · VIRIBVS · AT · CAVSA · POTIORES ·, young birds in nest at top of tree, defending themselves against a bird of prey; across field, BELLV NECESS.

 

MI 153/128; Eimer 63; Dugniolle 3230; van Loon I, p. 394. Mint State. Deep brown surfaces, with some hint of red and brilliance remaining around the devices. Very rare when encountered this well preserved, well struck, and problem-free.

 

The growing animosity between Catholic Spain and Protestant England came to a head in 1588, when a seemingly formidable Spanish fleet sailed from Lisbon with the intent of rendezvousing with the Duke of Parma in Flanders in order to invade England and depose its Protestant queen, Elizabeth I. In so doing, the hope was also to end English support of the Dutch Republic, which was causing problems for Spain as well. The armada, however, was repulsed due, in part, to the more swift ships within the English fleet, which were able to respond to and outmaneuver their Spanish counterparts. Following the defeat, the English dominance of the seas was celebrated through medallic art, both through native-produced medals as well as those from allied neighbors, like the Dutch Republic.

 

Upload: 1 December 2023.