^Lot 1160 Great Britain, copper alloy Admiral Vernon medal, 1739, arms / Porto Bello, ex-Adams.

Great Britain, copper alloy Admiral Vernon medal, 1739, arms / Porto Bello, ex-Adams. AC-PB2C; Betts-273. 16.07 grams, 39 mm. Lustrous UNC with much original brassy color (almost prooflike surfaces), engraver's initials I.W. in exergue, well struck and sharply detailed all over. The obverse design of the British coat of arms is of an unusually fine style for these medals, albeit with Asian-looking lion, with both lion and unicorn in an apparent state of arousal, hence most likely satirical. Adams: "A premium piece!" XRF: 42.54% copper, 51.70% zinc, 3.78% lead. Pedigreed to the John Adams Collection (with his handwritten tag).