| Brief Description |
This silver crown, worth five shillings, was minted in 1746 during the reign of King George II. It has "LIMA" in relief under a bust of the king.
The Lima coinage of 1746 came about during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) which lasted for seven years, ten months and two days. During the war Great Britain fought against its two greatest maritime rivals, the Spanish and the French, with privateers playing a prominent role (a privateer was a private ship authorized by the government to attack foreign shipping during wartime). In July 1745 Captains James Talbot and John Morecock, commanding two privateers in the North Atlantic, "Prince Frederick" and "Duke", captured two French treasure ships returning from Lima, Peru. Their haul was £800,000 in silver coins and ingots, plus gold and other goods. When they landed the coinage and bullion was transported to the Tower Mint in London, England. The precious metals were used in the production of coinage with the word "Lima" added to on the coins to celebrate the exploit.
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