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The medals of the estland campaign

In this article we shall tell about the medals created in commemoration of the Estland (Estonia) campaign of 1704, in which the Russian army captured the towns Derpt and Narva. The medals continue the series devoted to the events of the North war. The series was initially ordered to F. Muller and later repeated by several other engravers.

The commemorative medals on capture of the Estonian towns of Dorpat and Narva belong to the series of medals devoted to events of the North War between Russia and Sweden. Emperor Peter I (the Great) personally participated in storming these cities. Tsar wanted to take a revenge for the defeat of Narva four years ago. Peter was great in the art of psychological war, and medals served as a weapon in that war. Even a failure should be perceived as a victory, and a victory at the place of a previous defeat was of double value.

Medal in the memory of the capture of Derpt. Silver. Weight 50.98 g. Diameter 48 mm [zoom (58k)]

In the previous issue, we published an article on the medals connected with the establishment of the new capital of Russia. After it, the new stage of the war began. When it was reported to Swedish King Charles XII about the new city on the coast of the Neva River, he responded that the Russian Tsar might build cities, and he, the Swedish King, will capture it. That winter, the Swedes tried to capture the fortress of Kronshlott defending the new capital of Tsar Peter, but it looks that they lost their way in a snow storm and only succeeded in burning the ships frozen in ice near the fortress. In the summer, they appeared near the walls of the citadel of St. Petersburg, the Peter and Paul Fortress, and only the artillery fire from bastions forced them to retreat.

At the beginning of June, the Russian armies started the siege of the town of Dorpat (ancient Russian town of Yuriev), its garrison consisting of five thousand persons with a hundred of cannons. In a month of rather inactive operations, suddenly, Peter arrived, and the sharp activation of efforts in a week period led to deciding to storm the fortress. On July 6th the bombardment of Russian gate of Dorpat began, the skilful cannon fire literally demolished the gate tower above them, the trenches to the Gunpowder tower were constructed and when Russian detachments stormed and captured it, the Swedish commandant decided to surrender.

Swedes asked for the honourary terms of capitulation, on what Peter on behalf of field marshal Sheremetev sent them an ironic answer: ⌠Sir Fieldmarshal is much surprised that such a request is submitted by the commandant, when His Majesty soldiers are on the walls and are so angry that hardly can be held back■. However, Peter allowed the garrison to leave the fortress with their families and baggage. Significant trophies were seized: 132 cannons and a plenty of ammunition and food.

After the capture of Dorpat, Peter marched to Narva, which was also besieged by Russian armies from the beginning of June. Four dragoon regiments surrounded Narva, two regiments blocked Ivangorod. The Swedish forces totaled four and a half thousand people with 432 cannons in Narva and 128 cannons Ivangorod. The skilled general Horn was the commandant, the one who in the rank of colonel successfully defended the Fortress in 1700. After the arrival of the armies of Sheremetev from Dorpat, the Russian army totaled to 45 thousand person and 150 cannons. After a while a rumor was widespread among the besieged about the aid of general Shlippenbach coming from Revel to the rescue of the defenders. Menshikov proposed to Peter to take advantage of it by dressing four Russian regiments in dark blue Swedish uniforms and having arranged a false ⌠fight■ with the ⌠Swedes■ in order to entice a part of the garrison to come out of the fortress to aid these ⌠Swedes■. Swedes, in fact, took the bait and hasted out of the fortress, but quickly understood what▓s going on and returned loosing only 50 persons killed and captured. Menshikov presented this masquerade as a large victory, and colonel Ren, who was the commander of the Russian cavalry, has received the rank of general-major.

Russians conducted a regular siege, having decided to storm northern bastions of the fortress ≈ Victoria and Honour, simultaneously conducting a distracting attack on Ivangorod and simulating operations against the southern bastions ≈ Triumph and Destiny. Opposite the Honour bastion a redoubt was constructed with obsidional batteries of mortar guns to shoot over the walls. The bombardment of the fortress began on July 30th and proceeded till August 9th, in total, four and a half thousand bombs has been fired. The Swedish commandant was repeatedly offered to surrender the city, but he remembered the victory won four years ago and did not understood that he was confronting already the different army. Under the fire of the guns, the face of the Honour bastion collapsed, and the gap, through which the infantry could rush inside the fortress, was formed. The storm has been appointed on August 9th. At night, the grenadiers concentrated on approaches to Honour and Victoria where too a gap was achieved. On August 9, 1704, at 2.00 a.m., a signal to storm the town was given and in 45 minutes Russian entered the town. The capture of these cities was marked by stamping respective medals. The Gelos auction house put up for sale in November, 2005 a silver medal, ⌠On the capture of Derpt■ (in the XF condition) with the portrait of Peter by Timofey Ivanov, which has been sold for 3000 dollars at an estimate of 3000√3500 dollars.

On the averse of the medal a Peter▓s portrait (there are different variants depending on a concrete die) is represented. On the reverse, a schematic topographical plan of Dorpat with ballistic trajectories of flying cannonballs. In the foreground, Peter in antique armour, leg plates and in a laurel wreath, leaning on a board with an inscription: ⌠PORTIS HOSTILIVIBUS EFFRACTIS■ (⌠After the destruction of the hostile gates■) is represented. Before him a woman on bended knees (probably, personifying Dorpat), hands a crown to Peter. In the top part of the reverse side, there is an inscription: ⌠ACCIPIT IN MEDIO OVID■ (⌠Accepts in the walls■. Оvid. Chronogram 1704). Below, there is an inscription: ⌠TORPATVM IN FIDEM RECEPT 14 IVL. S. V.■ (⌠Dorpat is included into the State July 14th, old calendar■).

On a reverse of the medal ⌠On the capture of Narva■, the bombardment of Narva by Russian batteries (they are in the foreground) is represented. Also, the ballistic trajectories of flying cannonballs are represented. At the left side of the reverse, the Ivangorod is present. In the upper part of the reverse, there is an inscription: ⌠CECIDERE AB ORIGINE PRIMA LVCERT■ (⌠Switched species■. Lucretius. Chronogram 1704). The inscription contains a mistake: instead of ⌠LVCERT■ should be ⌠LVCRET■ (on the original gold medals the inscription was correct). Below, under the line there is an inscription: ⌠NARVA VI CAPTA 9 AVG. ST. V.■ (⌠Narva is captured by storm on August 9, old calendar■). The early items produced with Mueller▓s dies bear an inscription ⌠DIVIDIMVS MVROS TE MOENA PANDIMVS VRBIS VIRG■ (⌠We have destroyed the walls and gained access through the town fortifications■ Vergilius). There is also the second variant of the reverse, the one with a topographical plan of the fortress.

Copies of the medal in tin with the portrait of Peter by Ivanov usually cost much less, within the limits of 200√300 dollars, but when they are in excellent condition, the price of them grows. So, the medal in the memory of the capture of Narva at the Baldwin auction (January 2007) at a starting price of 150 dollars was sold for 450 dollars.

Medal in memory of the capture of Narva. Tin alloy. Diameter 47.5 mm [zoom (58k)]

Character of a portrait on averse indicates time of release of a medal and a degree of its rarity. Practically all the basic variants of die portraits (from the portraits by Alexeev, Muller and Kalashnikov to the ones by Yudin and Ivanov) have already been presented in the articles devoted to the Peter▓s medals (⌠Antiq.Info■ ╧╧ 27, 48/49, 51).

The plot of a reverse and, hence, the name of two medals, can be the same, however, it is necessary to remember, that medals with the same name could be minted with a difference of almost 200 years. In catalogues and auction lists all of them are presented in the same group pertaining to the Peter I epoch, but many of them are in fact the remakes. It brings the certain mess, especially in the minds of starting collectors. Such collectors on getting a commemorative medal on capture of some city or a sea victory of the North War with a Peter▓s portrait executed by S. Yudin or T. Ivanov, can seriously consider that they possess an artifact of the Peter epoch. We already mentioned in our previous articles that using the dies executed by these talented engravers in late 18th century, the medals could be minted on the order of a collector in the 19th century and even in the beginning of the 20th century. We must also note that there were not many restrickes of these items in copper, gold or silver.

Only the expert can correctly attribute two medals executed one in the late 18th and the another in the 19th century, using the same die and in the same metal, and distinguish between them. In this process, he takes into consideration the character of the deterioration of a stamp, feature of stamping, compares them with an available database. The maximal reliability of results can be achieved by carrying out the spectral analysis determining the structure of metal and the presence of additives ≈ (the composition of alloy varied at different mints). However carrying out of the spectral analysis costly enough and is not justified in the examination of not so expensive medals of the end of the 18th century. The different approach must be taken in case of the medals stricken during the life of Peter, which can make some thousands of dollars. In this case, carrying out the instrumental study, which allow determining the structure of the metal, is justified, the one not breaking integrity of an item and not producing any damages to it.

Averse parts of the dies were used by several times more often, than the reverse sides and wore out faster, and after a while, new portrait stamps were needed. Several hundreds of medals could be produced with one die, so the dies by Muller lived for about ten years inside the reign of Peter I.

In the description of the dies in the work by V.P. Smirnov (frequently his work was regarded to be the catalogue of medals, but it, as a matter of fact, only the description of the stock of dies including also some early and rare items). There were individual dies by Kalashnikov and Klimov in a ⌠worn-out■ condition which can not be used for minting medals no more. The dies by Yudin and Ivanov in suitable condition were present in small number and the remakes were minted for centuries using them. These medals were sold to collectors. The medals were ordered by museums and regiments which participated in the North War and have been formed during the Peter's epoch.

There are very many variants of portraits of Peter I on the commemorative medals devoted to the North War. First of all, there are the medals executed in 1713√1714 by F.G. Muller. They featured three types of averse. F.G. Muller produced and sold to General-Feldzeugmeister J.W. Bruce on the Russian side the steel dies both for averse and reverse (with plans of captured cities, allegories, etc.). Besides, F.G. Muller executed the special rings by means of which inscriptions on milled edge of a medal were put, and the tempered rings, constraining a die and preventing its cracking under pressure. Piece of metal was placed between the upper and lower parts of the die and subjected to pressure by means of a press. Then the edge of a medal was milled by means of the abovementioned ring to put an inscription on it. The burrs were removed and the medal was ready.

Frequently starting collectors ask, what literature to use. The works by J.B. Iversen with A.A. Stakhovich▓s comments and V.P. Smirnov▓s work ⌠The Description of Russian Medals■. Among modern publications, we would recommend M.E. Diakov the catalogue by M.E. Diakov ⌠The Medals of the Russian Empire■ in six volumes ≈ a very detailed and fundamental edition. Certainly, there are some defects and publishing errors, but not many for such work. The degree of a rarity of a medal that gives indirect representation about the price is specified in this catalogue also.

Study auction catalogues ≈ they will give you the idea about the current situation in the market. We do not recommend to purchase medals from unfamiliar sellers on every possibileity, in ⌠flea markets■ and electronic markets, including, an Internet-auction, eBay, for the probability to receive a fake in it approaches 90 percents.

It is recommended to buy from the seller having the confidence of collectors and guaranteeing the authenticity, even if the price will seem to you a little bit above the expected. Firstly, rare medals appear in the market with periodicity of about five years, taking into account the dynamics of prices rising we can hope that its cost soon will be doubled. Secondly, do not miss an opportunity of buying a rare item, and ordinary items you will acquire effortlessly.