MI218/542, 64.83gr. A rare medal cast in copper declaring the succession of the British throne to the Princess Sophia. In 1701 King William was a man in declining health, the heir apparent to the English throne was his sister in law Anne,  a staunch protestant. But it was also clear that after 17 pregnancies which resulted in no surviving children, Anne would also die without an heir. It was critical that the throne not fall back into the hands of the exiled Catholic Stuarts; to thwart this possibility a suitable protestant heir must be found. That person was Sophia, grand daughter of James I, married to the solid protestant Frederick Augustus of Hanover and mother to a number of children who would ensure that the protestant line would continue. The obverse depicts Matilda daughter of Henry II of England and an ancestor of Sophia’s husband Frederick, while the reverse depicts Princess Sophia. Unfortunately, Sophia died in 1714 a few months before her cousin Queen Anne, but her son did accede to the English throne as George I upon Anne’s death. Lovely glossy brown patina, no spots or detracting marks and a sharp portrait.  Of course some granulation due to the casting process is evident, but overall the medal is a superior example of that method. Ex Balwins Sale 26 September 2006 lot 1272. CHUNC