1399

Lot of 2 Peruvian gold "Recuperad El Morro" medals (2 different varieties), 1925, rare. 9.0 grams t

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Medals & Tokens Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 750.00 USD
Lot of 2 Peruvian gold  Recuperad El Morro  medals (2 different varieties), 1925, rare.  9.0 grams t
SOLD
Sign In To View Winning Bid
This item SOLD at 2012 Apr 12 @ 18:40UTC-4 : AST/EDT
All items are genuine unless noted. Most shipwreck coins and artifacts come with a certificate of authenticity (please check the description for each item). By bidding in this auction you understand and agree to the Terms and Conditions posted here.
Lot of 2 Peruvian gold "Recuperad El Morro" medals (2 different varieties), 1925, rare. 9.0 grams total. As a consequence of the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Peru lost to Chile the area known as Tarapaca, whose main city Arica is dominated by a land-feature known as El Morro, from whose cliffs the Peruvian Colonel Bolognesi heroically leaped to his death while wrapped in the garrison flag. At the end of the war, under the terms of the Treaty of Ancon, Chile retained control of the former Peruvian territory until a plebiscite could establish the region's nationality going forward. Patriotism against Chile ran high in 1925, when these medals were made in a variety of metals and designs, each with the Morro cliff featured on obverse along with the name of the engraver A.B. Leguia and the date of July 29, 1925. One of the pieces in this lot, showing just JUNTA PATRIOTICA NACIONAL on reverse, is known in brass and silver, but this gold specimen is the only one we have heard of. The other piece, in solid gold and featuring a portrait of Bolognesi on the reverse with the same wording in the legend instead, is known but considered rare. Both are lustrous XF-AU with minor rim-nicks and scratches.