1.25" with W&H paper used only 1898-1900. Text reads "Remember The Merrimac, Lieut. R.P. Hobson, Hero Of Santiago." While serving with Admiral Sampson, Hobson sunk the ship Merrimac in an attempt to block the Spanish ships in the harbor at Santiago, Cuba. The sinking, under heavy fire, occurred but not in the shallowest part of the channel. Hobson and his crew was picked up by the Spanish and he became a favorite of the American press while he was held as prisoner of war in Cuba. Upon his release, he dined with President McKinley and then traveled west by train giving speeches along the way to San Francisco and the Philippines. His noted enthusiasm for kissing admiring young women made him a sex symbol of the Victorian age. Exc. and displays Mint. See Hobson decanter/souvenir china hat lot #1517.