PALESTINE: lead medalet (16.00g), AH1228 (1813), Bucknill pp. 199-202, the name of William Sidney Smith in Arabic // Islamic phrase wa ma tawfiqi illa billah ("and there is no success except through God"), mount removed, bold VF, RRRR. William Sidney Smith (1764-1840) was a British admiral who lead the defeat of Napoleon's forces at the city of Acre in Palestine, then within the Ottoman Province (Vilayet) of Beirut. This victory prevented the French forces from invading Syria, a debacle that quickly led to the hapless French withdrawal from Egypt. This medalet is best known in bronze, and of the greatest rarity in lead. The only example on CoinArchives is bronze, sold in Baldwin's Auction 98, Lot 2511, in 2016, a specimen that was originally sold from our pricelist 110, Lot 102, in 1994. This type has been mistakenly assigned to Java in Indonesia, incorrectly assuming that the Arabic "viliyam" referred to Willem I of the Netherlands, with the rest of the legend undeciphered!
Estimate: $260-350