Description
Charles II of the House of Stuart, King of England 1660-1685 AD, Coronation Medal in Silver (8.44g, 28mm), 1661, by T. Simon. Obverse: Crowned bust of King Charles II facing to the right, wearing coronation robes, engraver’s initials “T S” (T. Simon) raised on truncation, legend surrounds, “CAROLVS· II· D·G ANG· SCO· FR· ET HI· REX”. Reverse: King Charles II, wearing coronation robes and holding the Sceptre and globus cruciger (Orb) of Office, enthroned to the left and is crowned by Victoria flying above, legend surrounds, “EVERSO· MISSVS· SVCCVRRERE· XXIII· APR· 1661”. Eimer-221; MI-472/76. A few light marks to fields, otherwise a very charming example of the popular coronation series, lightly toned with a white-steel patina, details near Extremely Fine, reverse good Very Fine.
The obverse Latin legend reads unabridged as “Carolus secundus, Deī grātiā, Angliae, Scōtiae, Franciae et Hiberniae Rēx”, with an English translation of “Charles the second, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland”. The reverse Latin legend reads unabridged as “ēversō missus succurrēre [sēclō]”, with an English meaning of “sent to restore the ruins of the age” – this is a paraphrase of a celebrated passage from the ‘Georgics’ by the ancient Roman poet Virgil, and is followed by Charles II’s coronation date, reading unabridged as “13th Aprīlis 1661”.