Coinfrog, my bad. I meant to include the citation to Lawrence, which helpfully appears right there in the caption below Wikipedia's image of that portrait, but I cropped the portrait up vertically and neglected to reinsert the caption...unconscionable oversight on my part. Thank you for adding that info!
JohnConduitt, I'm no military historian, so anything I have to contribute along those lines is sheer conjecture, but my surmise is that the celebratory nature of this token had more to do with the newly-promoted Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley's 1814 ascension to the brand-new Dukedom of Wellington, which was established by the Crown and government specifically to reward him for his military victories over the six-year "Peninsular Wars" campaign through Spain and Portugal.
There's certainly plenty of exonumismatic commemoration out there for the Peninsular Wars campaigns, with this "halfpenny token" (really a medallet?) probably being the most well-known among collectors as it circulated widely in Canada. Later versions added the victories achieved at Madrid, Pampluno, and San Sebastian.
Withers 1526b; Breton 987; Charlton WE-11A2. (This example is my own silver presentation piece graded NGC PR50.)
Meanwhile, as you've noted,
JohnConduitt, Waterloo, in the Low Countries (then Netherlands, now Belgium), was taken, and Napoleon's forces routed, in 1815, and boy, do we have a heap of tokens and medals to commemorate THAT! Technically, I guess, Wellington's victory at Waterloo, accomplished in partnership with his ally the Prussian Field Marshall Blucher, ended the "Hundred Days War" that followed Napoleon's return from exile.
Following the reign of George III, and after he became widely known as "The Iron Duke," Wellington went on to serve his country at various points in time under three more monarchs in succession: as Commander-In-Chief of the British Army; as Prime Minister; and as Leader of the House of Lords. During his so-called retirement, Wellington served as Chief Ranger and Keeper of Hyde Park and St James's Park, as well as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, until his death at the age of 83.
Also from Wikipedia, with caption this time!
Posted 08/31/2021 7:41 pm
