Medal Commemorating the Capture of Fort Chagres

Chagres, located in the province of Colón on the Caribbean coast of Panama, was one of Spain's possessions in the Caribbean. Its port formed part of the trade routes for goods and people to Panama and Peru. The War of Jenkins' Ear pitted Great Britain against the Spanish Empire between 1739 and 1748 over territories in the Caribbean, and it was in this context that English Admiral Edward Vernon captured Chagres in 1740.

This coin is part of a series produced to commemorate the victory over this stronghold. On the obverse, Admiral Vernon is depicted facing forward with a staff of office. There is a tree to his left and a ship to his right, along with an image of Fort Chagres, above which is an inscription that reads: "A VIEW OF FORT CHAGRE.'' The image is encircled by an inscription in English that reads: "VICE AD:RL [ADMIRAL] OF THE BLEW & COM:DER [COMMANDER] IN CH [IEF OF ALL] HIS MAI [MAJESTY'S] SHIPS IN THE WEST INDIES.'' At the bottom is an exergue that reads: "THE HON:LE [HONORABLE] EDWARD VERNON ESQ [ESQUIRE].'' The image has a dotted decorative line around it.

On the back is a view of the city surrounded by ships, encircled by an inscription that says "PORTO BELLO TAKEN BY ADMIRAL VERNON WITH [SIX SHIPS] OF WAR ONLY . NOV 22 ANNO DOMINI 1739.'' The image has a dotted decorative line around it.

The image of the victory at Portobello was reproduced on the back of many of these medals.