Reproduction George II Lima Halfcrown

Obverse: Old laureate and draped bust of George II facing left. Text around GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA. LIMA in exergue.

Reverse: Crowned cruciform shields, incorporating the Arms of Hanover, garter star at centre. Date split either side of crown. Text around M B F ET H REX F D B ET L D S R I AT ET E.

History: In the 1730's, British mariners were falling victim to abusive ship searches by Spanish coastguards around the West Indies.

During a search of the ship HMS Rebecca, Spanish officers badly beat the captain Robert Jenkins and cut off his ear. He went before a House of Commons committee to report the incident. That, along with the other complaints about Spanish treatment, gave Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole reason to declare war on the Spanish Empire in 1739. This war became known as the War of Jenkins' Ear and is where Lima coins find their origin.

In 1740, Admiral George Anson and his ships headed on a mission to capture Spanish possessions in South America. They captured treasure from a number of Spanish vessels, returning to England in 1744.

The captured silver was turned into British coins and bore the word ‘Lima', the name of the Peruvian capital city where the metal for the coins was originally sourced. To celebrate the capture of the silver, ‘Lima' was struck into King George II's silver issues of 1745 and 1746, underneath his portrait.

Date: 1746

Diameter: 3.2cm