Battles That Changed History series of silver coins launches with the Battle of Yorktown
Apart from the plethora of licenced popular culture coins that are produced by the New Zealand Mint, they also release quite a few limited series themed around history or nature. One of the best and most popular of recent years seems to be their Warriors of History range. Antique-finished and with selective colour, the coins are well designed, forming a broad look at the subject .
Today sees the launch of the first in a companion series called ‘Battles That Changed History’, a title that’s pretty self explanatory with regards to the subject matter. As far as format goes, those familiar with Warriors of History will feel right at home, these new coins definitely feeling like an extension of the older series. Like Warriors, a single figure, in this case General George Washington, is picked out in colour. The rest of the coin is antiqued. On the reverse face the background depicts the battle in action, something we’d expect to be the norm moving forward, and it’s packed full of detail.
The battle name ‘YORKTOWN’ and its date ‘1781’ are inscribed on this face, along with the small composition inscription that the NZ Mint puts on almost all its commemorative coins. The antiqued obverse is the same design (effigy of Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by inscriptions) that they use for their other Niue Island issues as well. Packaging is well done, using the small wooden chest that has been employed previously on such series as Journeys of Discovery, as well as the recent Pirates of the Caribbean 5 coin. It looks good, although we’ll personally miss the very neat book-style box used for Warriors, a new one of which will debut later this month.
A serialised certificate of authenticity is enclosed and the mintage is capped at 5,000 coins. There are at least five other coins planned for the series and they’re a great mix of ancient and modern from the early list we’ve seen. Price remains the same as its earlier sibling at $80.00 USD and the coin should be available later today from their webstore, or from several of our site sponsors.
2017 BATTLES THAT CHANGED HISTORY ‘YORKTOWN’ SILVER COIN
The Battle of Yorktown, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American theater, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. The battle boosted faltering American morale and revived French enthusiasm for the war, as well as undermining popular support for the conflict in Great Britain.
In 1780, approximately 5,500 French soldiers landed in Rhode Island to assist their American allies in operations against British-controlled New York City. Following the arrival of dispatches from France that included the possibility of support from the French West Indies fleet of the Comte de Grasse, Washington and Rochambeau decided to ask de Grasse for assistance either in besieging New York, or in military operations against a British army operating in Virginia. On the advice of Rochambeau, de Grasse informed them of his intent to sail to the Chesapeake Bay, where Cornwallis had taken command of the army. Cornwallis, at first given confusing orders by his superior officer, Henry Clinton, was eventually ordered to build a defensible deep-water port, which he began to do in Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis’ movements in Virginia were shadowed by a Continental Army force led by the Marquis de Lafayette.
WOODEN CHEST PACKAGING AND OUTER SHIPPER
The French and American armies united north of New York City during the summer of 1781. When word of de Grasse’s decision arrived, both armies began moving south toward Virginia, engaging in tactics of deception to lead the British to believe a siege of New York was planned. De Grasse sailed from the West Indies and arrived at the Chesapeake Bay at the end of August, bringing additional troops and creating a naval blockade of Yorktown. He was transporting 500,000 silver pesos collected from the citizens of Havana, Cuba, to fund supplies for the siege and payroll for the Continental Army.[9] While in Santo Domingo, de Grasse met with Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis, an agent of Carlos III of Spain. De Grasse had planned to leave several of his warships in Santo Domingo. Saavedra promised the assistance of the Spanish navy to protect the French merchant fleet, enabling de Grasse to sail north with all of his warships.[10] In the beginning of September, he defeated a British fleet led by Sir Thomas Graves that came to relieve Cornwallis at the Battle of the Chesapeake. As a result of this victory, de Grasse blocked any escape by sea for Cornwallis. By late September Washington and Rochambeau arrived, and the army and naval forces completely surrounded Cornwallis.
After initial preparations, the Americans and French built their first parallel and began the bombardment. With the British defense weakened, on October 14, 1781 Washington sent two columns to attack the last major remaining British outer defenses. A French column took redoubt No. 9 and an American column took Redoubt No. 10. With these defenses taken, the allies were able to finish their second parallel. With the American artillery closer and more intense than ever, the British position began to deteriorate rapidly and Cornwallis asked for capitulation terms on the 17th. After two days of negotiation, the surrender ceremony occurred on the 19th; Lord Cornwallis was absent from the ceremony. With the capture of more than 7,000 British soldiers, negotiations between the United States and Great Britain began, resulting in the Treaty of Paris of 1783. (Source: Wikipedia)
SPECIFICATION
| NAME | 2017 BATTLES THAT CHANGED HISTORY |
| DENOMINATION | $2 New Zealand |
| COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver |
| WEIGHT | 31.1 grams |
| DIAMETER | 40.00 mm |
| FINISH | Antique |
| MODIFICATIONS | Selective colour |
| MINTAGE | 5,000 |
| BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
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