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Auction: 22007 - British and World Coins and Commemorative Medals Autumn Auction
Lot: 759

Battle of Landen, Gilt AR Medal, 1693, by J. Boskam, INVICTISSIMVS GVILLELMVS MAG, laureate, armoured and draped bust right, rev. FORTI • SIC • VICTOR • VINCITVR • ART, falcon flying left, pouncing upon a heron, town and battle in distance, XXIX • IVL • MDCXCIII in exergue, plain edge, 60mm, 94.94g (Eimer -; MI ii 86/303; van Loon IV 140; Harding 27), the edges and surfaces lightly contact marked, some wear to the gilt on higher-points, otherwise the surfaces with much brilliance, a really good very fine and extremely rare, only one other example struck in silver gilt listed on CoinArchives traced by this cataloguer

provenance
Baldwin 65, 5 May 2010, lot 1017



The campaign of 1693 was mismanaged and was marred by a major defeat at the Battle of Landen. The French greatly outnumbered the Allied forces but William was determined to resist them and constructed very strong defences along the Landen stream. After heroic resistance the Allies were driven from their positions with the loss of 20,000 men. Such losses were only exceeded twice in Europe in the course of the next two hundred years. French losses were less than half the allied total. William was able to rally his troops, supplement them with reinforcements and, since Luxembourg failed to pursue his initial victory, maintain himself in the field.



Unusually the defeat was commemorated by Boskam. The reverse is probably an allusion to William's defensive strategy, but whether it is also a comment on the heroic resistance of the Allied troops or even an attempt to 'spin' a victory from defeat remains unclear.



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Sold for
£2,300

Starting price
£1200