A Complete Collection Assembled through
the Decades, c. 1876 and c. 1895
1. 1876 Jolo Campaign Medal, issued as a
commemorative coin without loop or fob,
showing Alfonso XII, in copper, diameter
of 30 mm;
2. 1876 Jolo Campaign Medal, issued as a
commemorative coin without loop or fob,
showing Alfonso XII, in copper, different shade,
diameter of 30 mm;
3. 1876 Jolo Campaign Medal with fob; showing
Alfonso XII, copper, diameter of 30 mm;
4. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal, small
gold token, diameter of 21 mm;
5. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal, small
silver token, diameter of 21 mm;
6. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal,, small
copper token, diameter of 21 mm;
7. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal, small
bronze token, diameter of 21 mm;
8. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal, small
brass token, diameter of 21 mm;
9. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal, small
gilt silver button stud, diameter of 21 mm;
10. 1876 The Victors of Jolo Campaign Medal,
small bronze button stud, diameter of 21 mm;
11. 1876 The Heroes of Jolo Campaign Medal,
copper, issued to protected married women,
diameter of 36 mm;
A Royal Chapter in Mindanao History
12. 1876 The Heroes of Jolo Campaign Medal,
silver, issued to Christian orphans, diameter of
36 mm;
13. 1876 The Heroes of Jolo Campaign Medal,
silver, issued to widows, diameter of 36 mm;
14. 1876 The Heroes of Jolo Campaign Medal,
silver, issued to protected married women, gold
token, diameter of 36 mm;
15. 1890-1891 & 1894-1895 Mindanao Campaign
Medal, showing Alfonso XIII and the Queen
Regent Maria Cristina, small bronze with
ribbon, diameter of 31 mm;
16. 1890-1891 & 1894-1895 Mindanao Campaign
Medal, showing Alfonso XIII and the Queen
Regent Maria Cristina, oxidized bronze with
ribbon, diameter of 31 mm.
Provenance: Provenance: The majority from the Collection of Don Felipe R. Hidalgo and the Collection of Don Jesus Cacho; some acquired from several auctions.
ABOUT THE WORK
In 1876, the Spanish Governor-General José Malcampo y Monge (1828-1880) launched an expedition to Sulu. The campaign resulted in making this territory a Spanish protectorate. (They would eventually relinquish it to the United States in 1899 and it would eventually become part of the Philippines’ sovereign territory.) Memorializing this pivotal chapter is this complete set of extremely important campaign medals including those issued to the Spanish colonial soldiers’ widows and orphans.
These medals were authorized in 1876 for Spain’s troops who took part in this strategically important campaign that opened up Sulu for the first time in history. The obverse features Alfonso XII (1857-1885) who was called ironically El Pacificador or “The Peacemaker”. He reigned as King of Spain from 1874 until his death at just 28 in 1885. He is shown in profile, facing left, wearing the laurel crown of victory and surrounded by raised beads. Beneath his image is ‘Estruch F.’, the engraver’s mark.
On the reverse is the word ‘Jolo’ surmounted by a cross with a laurel wreath. Entwined around it is a ribbon on which are written the battles of Paticolo, Tapul, Cacutla-Pac (Cacuilang), Parang, Maybun, and Liang. (The harbor of Paticolo is depicted in the Expedición a Joló book before its bombardment; while Maybun was the seat of the Sulu Sultanate. The others are important locations in the Sulu archipelago.) Below it is an inverted crescent.
Also in this lot — assembled after several decades of painstaking research — is a set of exceedingly rare Mindanao Campaign Medals of 1890-1891 and 1894 -1895. These were authorized in 1895 for the Spanish troops. On the obverse, they feature Alfonso XII’s queen Maria Cristina and their young son, Alfonso XIII. The words Campañas de Mindanao (Campaigns of Mindanao) are inscribed below. The dates 1890-1891 and 1894-1895 are inscribed on the reverse in the center of laurel garlands.
- Lisa Guerrero Nakpil