CAPTURE OF PORTOBELLO, 1739, COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL IN PINCHBECK. Obverse: Admiral Vernon accepting the surrender of the Spanish commander de Lezo. Reverse; Portobello harbour, one ship inside and five outside. 38mm (Betts 307). An attractive well struck example, Very Fine with rainbow toning.
The capture of Portobello was widely celebrated throughout the United Kingdom and North America, the name Portobello being used in commemoration at a variety of locations, in the UK including Portobello Road in London and the districts of Portobello in Edinburgh and Dublin. The victory was particularly popular in Britain's North American colonies, whose merchant shipping had been under attack from Spanish ships, the victory being commemorated in North America by the naming of Porto Bello in Virginia and Porto Bello in Maryland.
Pinchbeck, invented by Christopher Pinchbeck, 1670-1732, the London clockmaker, is a form of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc mixed in proportions so that it closely resembles gold in appearance. A cheap substitute for gold, pinchbeck jewellery was often worn in stagecoaches, where there was risk of theft.
