Lot 459
Elizabeth I, Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588. Silver medal by Gerhard van Bijlaer.
British, Ancient & World Coins - Auction 132 | C26007
Auction: 12 October 2026, 10:30 BST
Description
Philip II and other blind-folded Catholic heads of Church and State seated with feet on a spiked floor. DVRVM EST CONTRA STIMVLOS CALCITRARE, It is hard to kick against the pricks [Acts ix.5]), above, O COECAS HOMINVM MENTES/ O PECTORA COECA, Oh! The minds and hearts of men, rev. Capsizing and sinking Spanish ships being driven onto the rocks; above TV DEVS MAGNVS ET MAGNA FACIS TV SOLVS DEVS, Thou, God, art great and doest wondrous things; thou art God alone [Psalms lxxxvi/10]), VENI VIDE VIVE/ 1588, Come, see, live, (MI 144/111; Eimer 56.) Extremely Fine, handsomely toned and encapsulated by PCGS and ‘conservatively’ graded AU 58.
Footnote
In what was expected to be a one-sided victory, the British and Dutch forces, aided in part by treacherous weather and superior tactics, were able to rout the invading fleet, sinking or capturing more than a third of the 130-ship armada, fundamentally transforming England into masters of the sea in the process. The obverse depicts Spanish ships driven onto the rocks while English and Dutch ships hold steady in the background. The reverse displays a satirical scene of blindfolded bishops and Pope sitting atop a bed of spikes.
