World Famous War-Battle of Balaklava Coin

Perth Mint has been releasing World Famous War Coin series focussing on five notable engagements that changed the course of history, The Perth Mint’s Famous Battles Series portrays battlefield scenes spanning more than two millennia. The fourth coin of the world famous war coin series is The Battle of Balaklava. The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Anglo-French-Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea. The engagement followed the earlier Allied victory in September at the Battle of the Alma, where the Russian General Menshikov had positioned his army in an attempt to stop the Allies progressing south towards their strategic goal. Alma was the first major encounter fought in the Crimea since the Allied landings at Kalamita Bay on 14 September, and was a clear battlefield success; but a tardy pursuit by the Allies failed to gain a decisive victory, allowing the Russians to regroup, recover, and prepare their defences.

The Allies decided against an immediate assault on Sevastopol and instead prepared for a protracted siege. The British, under the command of Lord Raglan, and the French, under Canrobert, positioned their troops to the south of the port on the Chersonese peninsula: the French army occupied Kamiesh on the west coast whilst the British moved to the southern port of Balaklava. However, this position committed the British to the defence of the right flank of the Allied siege operations, for which Raglan had insufficient troops. Taking advantage of this exposure, the Russian General Liprandi, with some 25,000 men, prepared to attack the defences in and around Balaclava, hoping to disrupt the supply chain between the British base and their siege lines.

Picture by wikimedia commons: The Charge of the Light Brigade by Caton Woodville

The battle began with a Russian artillery and infantry attack on the Ottoman Turkish redoubts that formed Balaclava's first line of defence. The Turks initially resisted the Russian assaults, but lacking support they were eventually forced to retreat. When the redoubts fell, the Russian cavalry moved to engage the second defensive line held by the Turks and the Scottish 93rd Highland Regiment in what came to be known as the 'Thin Red Line'. This line held and repulsed the attack; as did General Scarlett's British Heavy Brigade who charged and defeated the greater proportion of the cavalry advance, forcing the Russians onto the defensive. However, a final Allied cavalry charge, stemming from a misinterpreted order from Raglan, led to a famous and ill-fated event in British military history – the Charge of the Light Brigade.

This stunning coin celebrates one of the world’s Famous War–The Battle of Balaklava. It is minted by Perth Mint and come with Proof Quality 99.9% Pure Silver. Each coin is housed in a silver presentation case and customised box shipper. No more than 5,000 of these coins will be released. A numbered Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each coin. This coin also issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu. Tuvalu (/tuːˈvɑːluː/ or /ˈtuːvəluː/), formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia.

Reverse: The coin’s reverse, which includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, portrays a coloured depiction of the Light Brigade’s ill-fated charge. Struck elements of the design portray a Cossack and a representation of the British commander, Lord Cardigan, on a horse.

Obverse: Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu, the coin bears the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the 2009 year-date on its obverse.

Technical Specifications:

Silver Content (Troy oz) 1
Monetary Denomination (TVD) 1
Fineness (% purity) 99.9
Minimum Gross Weight (g) 31.135
Maximum Diameter (mm) 40.60
Maximum Thickness (mm) 4.00

Source: Wikipedia, Perth Mint