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Rare Silver Captain James Cook Medal -Lewis Pingo

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Medals

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Rare Silver "Captain James Cook" Medal By Lewis Pingo

c. 1783, Captain James Cook Medal. By Lewis Pingo. London. Royal Mint. Struck in Silver. Betts 553. M.H. 374. British Historical Medals 258. Extremely Fine.
43.5mm. One of Only 289 Struck in Silver. This important rarity has seen some actual wear and it has some expected scattered edge bruises and nicks. It depicts Captain James Cook, the famous explorer, surveyor circumnavigator, portrait medal by Lewis Pingo (1743-1830). This medal showing a left-facing bust of Cook in his Naval uniform, the legend reads, "OCEANI INVESTIGATOR ACERRIMVS" (THE MOST INTREPID INVESTIGATOR OF THE SEAS). The reverse shows the personified figure of Fortune, holding a globe, "NIL INTENTATVM NOSTRI LIQUERE" (OUR MEN HAVE LEFT NOTHING UN-ATTEMPTED).
The Royal Society issued this historic tribute medal in 1784 and struck examples of this medal in Gold (19), Silver and Bronzed Copper (574). They were sold for the princely sum of a guinea for two (10s 6d or 52.5 Pence each). The gold specimen was given to his widow is now in the British Museum. The portrait was copied by John Flaxman, when designing the well-known Wedgwood Jasperware plaquette. This medal is also illustrated in C. Wyllis Betts, "American Colonial History Illustrated by Contemporary Medals," as number 553. An important and major rarity being struck in Silver.

Cook had first seen the Americas when, as Master of Mercury he surveyed the St. Lawrence River as part of General Wolf's expedition to capture Quebec. He continued to serve on the North American Station till 1767. Twice circumnavigated the globe, first in 1768-71 and later 1772-75. On his return he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He had left on his third voyage in was murdered by natives in the Sandwich Islands in 1779.

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