Admiral Vernon Medals – A fun colonial “U.S.” Medal Series

Collecting Admiral Vernon medals has had a recent surge in collecting popularity. The EAC (Early American Coppers) community has always had an interest due to them being minted and distributed during the time of other colonial coppers. The giants of our collecting community have collected them including Eric Newman and Walter Breen. Many major museums include examples in their collections. Despite that many examples can be acquired for a reasonable price.



There are many books written on Vernon and his medals but the 2010 publication by John Adams and Dr. Fernando Chao has really help spur the interest. And much like other collectible areas, the book has helped create an increase the cost of collecting them. The subtitle of the book is “Medals Sometimes Lie.” We will circle back to that later.

The book breaks down the medals into a total of 9 types which encompass over 250 varieties. All of them are R-5 to R-8 meaning none of them have a known population of over 75 pieces.

Edward Vernon was born November 12th, 1684. He was the 2nd son to James Vernon, Secretary of State to William III. He joined the Royal Navy in 1700. By 1706 he was promoted to Captain and appointed to the HMS Dolphin. In 1720 he was made Commodore. In this same time period he also became a member of Parlaiment but was re-appointed to active served in 1726.

In 1731 he took up the case of Rober Jenkins, a merchant seaman that claimed to have had his ear cut off by Spanish privateers. This event along with others led to a conflict referred to as the War of Jenkins’ Ear in 1739.

The Battle of Porto Bello was a 1739 battle between a Royal Navy squadron aiming to capture the settlement of Portobelo in Panama, and its Spanish defenders. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, in the early stages of the war sometimes known as the War of Jenkins' Ear. Vernon claimed that he could take Porto Bello with just six ships and the battle resulted in a popularly acclaimed British victory. This is when we first start seeing Vernon medals produced.

Type 1) Medals with no location

I did a presentation on these several years ago and stated that I hadn’t found one of these for sale although as a type they are no more scarce. Although only 13 varieties so it limits the amount of material available to collectors. A January 2026 Heritage auction changed that for me because I was able to add 2 pieces of this type.

The first pictured medal has Admiral Vernon and along with Commodore Brown. The reverse features Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll. This is a political piece as much a celebration of Argyll as much as Vernon and Brown.



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The second medal uses the same obverse but with a different political reverse. The banner across the top of the reverse states “MAKE ROOM FOR SIR ROBERT”. Sir Robert Walpole is the longest reigning British Prime Minister in history. Apparently, there were those that didn’t care for him. The auction lot describe it “Satirical depiction of Satan leading Walpole to hell on the reverse.”


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Type 2) Porto Bello Medals with No Portrait

There are only 5 varieties of these and as such tend to command strong prices.

This is one of only 3 “no portrait” reverses. It is in remarkable condition and appears to have been minted from new dies.



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“He took Porto Bello with Six Ships Only” is a common phrase on Vernon Medals. After the battle he returned to England with great fanfare, and as a national hero.

Type 3) Porto Bello Medals Vernon’s Portrait Alone

There are 70 varieties to collect for this type making this one of the easiest financially to acquire. The pictured medal features the popular phrase from above.




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Type 4) Porto Bello Medals with Vernon’s Portrait and Icons

The “icons” are mostly cannons and ships. The pictured medal is listed as Adams PBvi-5E and is listed as Rarity-5. That means that 51-75 are known to exist. I find this hard to believe because I have accidentally acquired 3 pieces. This is the nicest of them.



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Type 5) Porto Bello Medals with Multiple Portraits

There are multiple combinations of Vernon with others for this type. The one pictured is Vernon with his second in command Commodore Brown. Other varieties include representations of Spanish Admiral de Lezo kneeling in defeat.



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Type 6) Fort Chagre Medals –

This battle came after Porto Bello but was not as an important of an event. This medal mentions Fort Chagre but still has the familiar Porto Bello slogan.





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So, why do U.S. collectors, collect Admiral Vernon medals? They are obviously British made items commemorating British battles and figures. I think the Cartagena medals do a good job of explaining that.


Type 7) Cartagena Medals

This was a major event. The British attacked with over 100 vessels and over 11,000 ground troop, including 3600 Colonial American Troops. The first deployment ever of American troops abroad.

The skill and bravery of Admiral Blas de Lezo heavily influenced the final outcome. The British had to withdrawal after suffering heavy losses. The first medal for this type states on the reverse, “TOOK CARTHAGENA 1741”. The problem is, it never happened. They were making and distributing these in advance of his assumed victory.

George Washington’s half-brother, Lawrence Washington, served during this time and was so impressed with Vernon that he later named his Virginia estate, Mount Vernon, in honor of his former commander.



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The second of my Cartagena medals depicts Vernon with Admiral Ogle, the other commander at Cartagena.



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To be continued.....

 

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Type 8) Havana Medals

These seem to be among the most sought after by collectors. This is a battle that they did not lose. In fact, it never happened. After setting up camp 50 miles away, they had to suffer through guerilla tactics from the locals and yellow fever. The army suffered 2000 casualties and never attacked Havana.

The medal in my collection has Havanay on the obverse but still the familiar Porto Bello saying on the reverse. They really couldn’t let go of that.



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Type 9) Uniface Pieces

Even though I have never seen one for sale although they don’t have higher rarity ratings than the others.


The book by Adams and Chao is fantastic in my opinion. It made a huge impact on how I collect these.

Closing:

There is no doubt that these are British medals, but the American connection is what originally drew me to collect these. There are hundreds of varieties. Worn examples are very affordable; many can be purchased for less than $100. This was meant to be a relatively short introduction to Admiral Vernon medals. I hope you have enjoyed this. Feel free to share your own.


Sources:

Medallic Portraits of Admiral Vernon – Medals Sometimes Lie, by John W. Adams and Dr. Fernando Chao

Wikipedia for some of the historic information.