(1666) Bronze Medal Betts-42, St. Christopher

Coin Details

Auction Record

$576 MS62BN 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze medal, Betts-42, commemorates events at St. Christopher (St. Kitts) in 1666 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. St. Kitts was one of the earliest European colonies in the Caribbean, jointly settled by English and French colonists beginning in 1625. The island was frequently contested during European wars, with control shifting between powers. In 1666, French forces seized the English portions of the island during the broader conflict between England and France's Dutch ally. This medal documents the volatile colonial situation in the Caribbean where European wars regularly disrupted colonial settlements and shifted territorial control. St. Colonial-era medals were produced at royal mints, private workshops, and jewelers' studios across Europe, with production quality ranging from masterfully engraved official issues to crudely cast provincial pieces. Kitts would change hands multiple times before finally becoming British.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Caribbean colonial conflict medals from the 1660s are scarce.

Cross References

Betts-42