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BOLIVIA, oval silver medal, Ferdinand VII, dated 1816, victors of Laguna and Villar, NGC AU 58, fine

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Exonumia - Medals Start Price:400.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 750.00 USD
BOLIVIA, oval silver medal, Ferdinand VII, dated 1816, victors of Laguna and Villar, NGC AU 58, fine
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BOLIVIA, oval silver medal, Ferdinand VII, dated 1816, victors of Laguna and Villar, NGC AU 58, finest and only example in NGC census, ex-Derman. Cunietti-p. 58; Fonrobert-8026. Rare medal (first we have offered) struck in Potosí and issued to Royalist forces for their part in the Battle of La Laguna in El Villar on September 13-14, 1816 (listed in Fonrobert as La Guaira under Colombia in error). Obverse with winged victory sounding its horn and holding a laurel over clouds, legend encircling A LOS ESFORZAS VENCEDORES EN LA LAGA Y VILLAR. and florette above; reverse with knight's helm above crossed cannons, flags, musket, and trumpet with drum and drumsticks below, 13 Y 14 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1816. encircling with florette at top; smooth edge. Lustrous example with well-struck details throughout, slight golden toning across its surfaces. As outlined in Cunietti, this medal was effectively a reward for the defeat and capture of guerrilla leader Manuel Asencio Padilla in his attempt to rescue his pregnant wife, Juana Azurduy de Padilla (who was herself a military leader during the fight for independence) during the Battle of La Laguna in modern-day Bolivia. Padilla was summarily executed by beheading, and his head was displayed publicly to further thwart the revolution. In 1827 the former town of La Laguna (originally San Miguel de La Laguna) was renamed Padilla in his memory. Pedigreed to the Alberto "Coco" Derman collection.
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