1690 Medal Betts-73

Coin Details

Description

This 1690 medal, Betts-73, completes the series of Quebec Preserved medal varieties in the Betts catalog. The defense of Quebec in 1690 had profound strategic consequences: it preserved French control of the St. Lawrence River and the interior of North America for another seventy years, until the British finally captured Quebec in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. The French crown struck multiple medal varieties to publicize the victory throughout Europe, using the triumph as propaganda to demonstrate the strength and viability of New France. The iconographic vocabulary of colonial medals drew heavily on classical mythology and allegory, with figures representing continents, rivers, virtues, and vices arranged in compositions that conveyed complex political messages. Collectively, the Quebec Preserved medals (Betts-68 through 73) represent one of the most extensively commemorated events in colonial American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Final variety in the Quebec Preserved medal series.

Cross References

Betts-73