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Medal 2016-73
John Wilkes medal
Medal 2016-73

John Wilkes medal

Date1768
OriginGreat Britain
MediumBrass (cast)
DimensionsDiameter: 30mm
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, Lasser Numismatics Fund
Object number2016-73
DescriptionObverse: Bust of Wilkes, wearing a wig and coat, to left. "INo WILKES ESQr MEMBER FOR MIDDLESEX 1768," within a dentiled border.

Reverse: "MAY TRUE BRITAINS ENJOY LIBERTY AND PROPERTY WITHOUT OPPRESSION No45," within a dentiled border.
Label TextOne of the eighteenth century's most famous defenders of liberty and property was John Wilkes (1725-1797). Hero too many and villain to some, Wilkes found himself imprisoned for expressing some of his more controversial views. Wilkes roundly criticized the administration in issue number 45 of his paper The North Briton, where he referred to some Ministers as "tools of despotism and corruption." These words reached across the Atlantic where he became known as a true friend of American liberty.

This medal clearly alludes to Wilkes' essay with "No45" on the reverse, and also commemorates his successful election as Member of Parliament for Middlesex that year. Inexpensive pieces like this example were mass produced, and circulated throughout the British-speaking world as a form of metallic propaganda alongside prints and textiles carrying Wilkes' image.