Lima British Early Milled Coins
By Coinsanduk | Thursday, 15 February 2024
Some silver and gold coins struck, by William Chetwynd, the Mint Master at the time, between the years 1745 and 1746 bear a LIMA mint mark under the bust.
The coins provenance marked LIMA are all made with precious metals from treasure captured from Spanish ships off the coast of the Peruvian city of Lima by the English Privateers John Morecock and James Talbot, Captains of the Prince Frederick and the Duke in 1745.
There was a debate as to how this silver made its way to The Royal Mint from the Peruvian mines. The story was that Admiral George Anson circumnavigated the world, and during the course of this voyage he captured a load of Spanish silver, but there is no proof of it.
In 1745 a great treasure of silver coin had been seized in the North Atlantic by two British privateers, the Duke and the Prince Frederick, from two French treasure ships that had come from Peru. This booty was transported in forty-five wagon loads from the port of Bristol to the mint in London. As the booty principally consisted of 'piece of eight' bearing the Lima mintmark it was requested that coins taken from these prizes might bear the name 'Lima' to celebrate the exploit.
- Peter Seaby
The obverse features a coinage portrait of George II, the second Hanoverian king to sit on the British throne.
Lima can be found on 5 Guineas, 1 Guinea, Half Guinea, Crown, Half Crown, Shilling and 6 Pence.
Today, Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru with a population of around 10,000,000 people.
