103503 | CUBA. Spanish American War/American Blockade aluminum Award Medal.

103503  |  CUBA, UNITED STATES & SPAIN. End of the American Blockade aluminum Award Medal. Issued 1898, but never disbursed (35mm, 6.72 g, 12h). By Antonio Jiménez.

 

AYUNTAMINETO DE LA HABANA. AÑO. 1898., personification of Havana standing facing with five children at her side and resting hand upon shield; costal scene in background // RECUERDO DEL BLOQUEO DE LA ISLA DE CUBA / 21 DE ABRIL AL 12 DE AGOSTO, view of Havana Harbor, with Morro Fortress to left, the city in background, and ships upon the harbor in foreground. Edge: Loop as made attached at top, otherwise plain.

 

Gem Mint State. Extremely vibrant and mirrored. A rare and virtually unseen medal within the market.

 

Following increased tensions in Cuba among some of her freedom-seeking populace and her colonial power, Spain, then-president of the United States, William McKinley, sent a battleship to the neighboring island in order to provide protection for American citizens based there. Under mysterious circumstances, the battleship, the USS Maine, suffered an explosion and sank. The American Congress then approved the use of military force to intervene, with a US blockade of Havana harbor ensuing on 21 April 1898.

 

Throughout the spring and summer, the blockade continued, with little actual engagement. It eventually ended when the American fleet departed the harbor for the port of Santiago de Cuba, where Admiral Cervera's Spanish squadron had arrived. It was hastily at this time that Spanish authorities in Havana came up with the idea for this medal to be presented to the citizens there who had endured the blockade. The medals, however, were never to be presented, as Spain was not successful in the campaign (the Spanish-American War), with these medals seemingly impounded and long forgotten. For more information on this medal, please see this article.

 

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Upload: 2 March 2026.