Five Guineas: George II (obverse); Shield of Arms (reverse)
Unknown Artist
1746
Medium
gold
Dimensions
diam. 3.7 cm
Classification
Coins
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Norweb Collection
Accession Number
1969.208
About this artwork
A new bust now appears on the coinage showing the king as an older man. The word LIMA that appears below the bust on this year only, refers to bullion captured by Admiral Anson from a Spanish plate fleet at Manila during his circumnavigation of the globe (1739–43). It also probably includes bullion supplied by a number of privateers operating against the Spanish plate fleets in the Atlantic. Why the actual word "Lima" was chosen to mark this supply of bullion has never been satisfactorily explai...