| Obverse Design | Legend curving above says "THE . BRITISH . GLORY . REVIV . D . BY . ADMIRAL . VERNON". The "N"'s are reversed. There is an inside line enclosing the legend. To our left is a ship heading to our right, towards Admiral Vernon. In the center is a full length figure of Admiral Vernon with his body half turned to the right, and his head fully facing right. Vernon is holding a sword in his right hand and a baton in his left. His scabbard projects below his skirt in the back. To our right is a cannon with the mouth of the cannon pointing at the letter "V". The cannon and Vernon are on a plain platform, and Vernon's feet are in in front of the trail of the cannon. Below the platform is a small ornament. The medal has a plain and smooth rim. | ||||
| Reverse Design | Legend curving along the top says "HE TOOK PORTO BELLO WITH SIX SHIPS ONLY". There is an inside line enclosing the legend. In exergue (under a line along the bottom of the medal) it says: "NOV . 22 . 1739". The "N"'s in "ONLY" and "NOV" are reversed. The center is the attack on Portobello. The six ships are lined up two in the top row sailing right, one in a middle row off on the right sailing towards the left, and three in the bottom row sailing right. There are three boats in the harbor to the right of the mole. A building with two gables or spires is under the "W" of "WITH". There are water lines though the harbor. The medal has a line around outside of the medal and then a smooth and plain rim. | ||||
| Distinctions |
There are about 41 varieties total with a ship, Vernon and a cannon in that order. Of those, 26 have Vernon standing on a platform. In twelve of those the platform is plain with any lines or grain. In eight of the twelve the ship is sailing to the right. In seven of the eight the "N"'s are reversed. Moving to the reverse side, three of the seven have three boats next to the mole. These same three are the only ones of the seven with a twin-gable (or spire) building under the "W". Of these three, one has the obverse field stippled, one is cast, and this particular one is plain. |
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| Detail On Obverse of VN-2.164 | Detail On Reverse of VN-2.164 | ||||
 Note the Ship sailing right. |
 Note the large twin-gable building under the "W" and three boats to the right of the mole (dock). |
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| Metal | Copper or brass. | Weight | Unknown. | Size and Shape | Round, 37 mm in diameter. |
| Rarity | Common. | Designer or Issuer | Not known. | Other Catalog Numbers | McCormick-Goodhart #104, probably Betts #239. |
| 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