(1758) Medal MI-691/415 Goree Taken, Bronze

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,680 MS65RB 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze medal cataloged as MI-691/415 commemorates the British capture of Goree (now Goree Island, Senegal) in 1758 during the Seven Years' War (known in America as the French and Indian War). Goree, a small island off the coast of West Africa, was a strategically important trading post that had changed hands between European powers multiple times since the 15th century. The British expedition captured the island from France on December 29, 1758, as part of Britain's global strategy of seizing French colonial possessions. The MI designation refers to the standard British historical medal catalog. The capture of Goree was part of William Pitt the Elder's aggressive policy of attacking French interests worldwide, which also produced victories in Canada, India, and the Caribbean. This bronze medal documents an often-overlooked chapter of the global conflict that reshaped the colonial world and set the stage for both American independence and the expansion of the British Empire.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. British military campaign medals from the Seven Years War era are collected by specialists in 18th-century historical medals.

Cross References

PCGS #920825; MI-691/415; Seven Years War / French and Indian War