1650 Dated Great Britain Battle of Dunbar Oliver Cromwell PCGS SP63 ca. 1870s

  

Heres a very rare and significant british medal. 1650-dated Battle of Dunbar Silver Medal PCGS SP63. Obverse Oliver Cromwell facing left, reverse interior view of assembled Parliament with speaker seated in center. Dies engraved by Thomas Simon, one of the most famous and important engravers in British history. Only a handful of original strikings are known, which are all but unattainable.

Most of the examples known are restrikes, either from dies which were smoothed to lessen the die cracks/rust, or from completely original dies (such as our example). These medals were struck in atleast 3 different emissions, with the last known emission struck with original dies being by Wyon circa 1870. At this time, the original dies developed cracks on the obverse and a large crack on the reverse.

Silver versions of this emission are very rare and have rarely appeared on the market. This is the finest graded at PCGS, and is much more significant than the examples struck from altered dies. Own a piece struck with the untouched engraving of Thomas Simon.