Naval Action off Cape Passaro, AR Medal, 1718, by John Croker, GEORGIVS • D : G : MAG : BR : FR : ET • HIB : REX • F : D :, laureate and armoured bust right, rev. SOCIORVM • PROTECTOR •, statue of the King as Neptune, upon a rostral column amidst captured naval trophies, CLASSE • HISP • DELETA • AD • ORAS • SICILAE • 1718 in exergue in three lines, plain edge, 45mm, 38.22g (Eimer 481; MI ii 439/42), lightly contact marked, nevertheless with dark grey and rich cabinet toning in hues of blue and ochre, additional with much lustre, a really good very fine.
On the 31 July 1718 a British fleet under the Command of Admiral Sir George Byng defeated the Spanish fleet, destroying or capturing seventeen of their warships. Britain was not yet at war with Spain but was already committed in its support of Emperor Charles VI's ambitions in southern Italy. Cape Passaro lies of the southern cape of Sicily.
Estimate: £400 - £600