| Obverse Design | Legend curving above says "THE . BRITISH . GLORY . REVIV . D . BY . ADMIRAL . VERNON" ("N"'s reversed). There is an inside line enclosing the legend. In the center is a full length figure of Admiral Vernon with his body turned to our left (facing left), and standing on a platform. Vernon is holding a baton in his right hand which points at the letter "G", and his right hand is on his hip. To our left of Admiral Vernon is a canon whose trail goes behind the Admiral. To our right of the Admiral is a ship sailing right, whose bowsprit points at the second "A" in "ADMIRAL". The medal has a ridge or line outside of the legend and an extra broad rim. | ||||
| Reverse Design | Legend curving along the top says "HE TOOK PORTO BELLO WITH SIX SHIPS ONLY oo". There is an inside line enclosing the legend. In exergue (under a line along the bottom of the medal) it has a large date: "NOV . 22 . 1739" (small stops). There are no ornaments below the date. The center is the attack on Portobello. The six ships are lined up two in the top row, one a little below and in front of the first two, and the last three in the bottom row. All the ships are sailing to our right. There are three small vessels in the harbor, and faint waterlines throughout. A steeple points to the second "L" and a tower to the "I". The medal has a ridge or line outside of the legend and an extra broad rim. | ||||
| Distinctions | There are just four varieties with a cannon, full-length Vernon and a ship in that order (there are a lot more with the ship, Vernon and the cannon in that order). Of these four, three have the baton pointing at the letter "G". Of these, one has a small date and two a large date. This one has a large date and a plain field on the obverse; the other variety has a stippled field on the obverse. | ||||
| Detail On Obverse of VN-2.153 | Detail On Reverse of VN-2.153 | ||||
 Note the baton pointing at the letter "G". |
 Note the large date. |
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| Metal | Copper and Brass, or silver plated. | Weight | Unknown. | Size and Shape | Round, 39½ mm in diameter. |
| Rarity | Common. | Designer or Issuer | Not known. | Other Catalog Numbers | McCormick-Goodhart #97, Betts #222. |
| Notes | Fort San Fernando shown below was built in 1753 as part of the project of rebuilding the fortifications of Portobello after Admiral Vernon destroyed them in 1739. | ||||
From the Canal Zone Review, Fall 1971 Edition