The Engagement of John Paul (Jones) (1747–92) with the British ship Serapis off Flamborough Head, September 23, 1779 1779

This medal, created by French artist Augustin Dupré in 1779, commemorates the famous naval battle between John Paul Jones and the British ship Serapis off the coast of Flamborough Head. The obverse features a bust portrait of Jones, while the reverse depicts the battle itself, with Jones’s ship, the Bonhomme Richard, engaging the Serapis and another British ship, the Countess of Scarborough. The medal’s inscription “Protive Navibus Captis Am Verte” is Latin for “Victory to Captured Ships.”