1739 Bronze Medal Admiral Vernon, A-C PBvi 2-B

Coin Details

Auction Record

$144 F12 02-21-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1739 bronze medal, cataloged as Adams-Chao PBvi 2-B, is the second die pairing in the Vernon Portrait and Icons subgroup. Obverse die 2 presents a different arrangement of Vernon's portrait with surrounding icons than die 1, while reverse die B offers alternative Porto Bello commemorative imagery. The icons flanking Vernon's portrait in the PBvi series typically include combinations of anchors, cannons, drums, flags, swords, and laurel branches — the visual vocabulary of eighteenth-century military triumph. These symbols were immediately legible to contemporary audiences familiar with the conventions of heraldry and military decoration. Struck in copper alloy (AE), this medal was produced for a market that consumed Vernon medals in enormous quantities. The PBvi subgroup eventually grew to over twenty-six obverse dies, making it the most prolific category in the Vernon medal series and demonstrating that the portrait-with-icons format was the most commercially successful design concept.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Early-numbered PBvi varieties tend to be slightly more available than high-numbered ones.

Cross References

A-C PBvi 2-B; PCGS #930202