1817 Amelia Island, Green Cross of Florida Medal. Bronze. Rulau E-Fla 10, BHM-957. Plain Edge. Extremely Fine, Tooled. 33 mm. A curious example of this elusive and historic medal. Though the surfaces are glossy rich brown and exhibit only modest wear, the J of JUNII has been effaced and the final I is weak. Otherwise, this is a rather choice example of a rarity that is believed to be represented by just 15 to 20 surviving specimens.<p>The Amelia Island medal is the most famous early historical medal relating to the present state of Florida, a decoration awarded by an army that barely existed from a country that was never founded. These medals were issued by Gregor MacGregor, a Scottish-born con man who once invaded Columbia and twice settled a colony in Nicaragua under his own flag. In 1817, he traveled throughout the U.S. to raise money to "capture" Amelia Island, Florida from the Spanish; he also raised a force of 150 men, only 55 of whom were present for the "invasion" of this spit of sand near the Georgia border. A shocked Spanish settlement gave up at the sight of MacGregor on June 29, 1817 (the date on the medal with the pompous legend VENI VIDI VICI), but in December the U.S. Army showed up to politely ask MacGregor to leave. Their orders instructed the troops to "remove from Amelia Island the persons who have lately taken possession thereof....to the great annoyance of the United States." The best study on these medals is Carling Greshams monograph <em>General Gregor Macgregor and the 1817 Amelia Island Medal</em>, available from the ANA library, which names 13 known specimens including four in museum collections. MacGregor appears to have issued this medal between 1820 and 1823 as a fundraising device for his "colonization" of Nicaragua, whereby a "land purchase" for the as-yet unsettled country got the donor a title of Knight and recognition with the Green Cross of Florida, namely the medal seen here. Rarely offered, a prized piece of Florida.
