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MEDALS PERTAINING TO SHIPWRECKS

368

Great Britain, steel medal commemorating the sinking of the Lusitania (1916).

About 2" in diameter and 1/8" thick, made in imitation of a German propaganda medal made after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1916, with a depiction of the disaster on one side with German wording announcing the sinking of the Lusitania in exergue, and a scene of passengers buying tickets from a skeletal Cunard attendant on the other side, perfect condition save for some tiny rust spots.

$50-$75

369

Turks & Caicos Islands, 1960s silver restrike of 1687 Phips medal.

Famously in 1687 the American salvager William Phips located the Spanish wreck of the Concepción at the Silver Shoals north of Hispaniola and recovered tons of silver from it to the enrichment of the English crown (James II) and of Phips' financier in the venture, the Duke of Albemarle. Almost immediately, and probably from the silver that was recovered, large medals were struck and presented to the "officers and promoters" of Phips' venture. These medals are rare and highly sought, bringing prices in the thousands of dollars, but almost equally rare (due to large-scale melting for scrap silver in the late 1970s and early 1980s) are the official restrikes issued by the Turks and Caicos Islands (who were trying to lay claim to the wreck) in the 1960s, such as the one on offer here. Measuring 2-1/8" in diameter and 3/16" thick, 104.9 grams of presumably .999 pure silver, and numbered 0048 on the edge, this medal depicts the king and queen on the obverse and a salvage scene on the reverse and is in 100% perfect condition with very elegant rainbow toning.

In original red clamshell case.

$200-$300