1720 Silver Medal Betts-118, Who Buys Shares?

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,080 AU50 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1720 silver medal (Betts-118) is titled "Who Buys Shares?" — a satirical piece mocking the speculative mania of the Mississippi Bubble. As the bubble inflated in 1719-1720, the frenzy to buy shares in John Law's Mississippi Company reached absurd proportions, with speculators of all social classes crowding the Rue Quincampoix in Paris to trade shares. When the bubble burst, satirists had a field day producing medals, prints, and pamphlets ridiculing the greed and gullibility of the investors. This silver medal belongs to a group of Dutch-produced satirical pieces that documented the financial catastrophe with biting humor. Many Betts medals exist in multiple metal compositions struck from the same dies, as mints typically produced gold or silver presentations for dignitaries alongside bronze or copper versions for wider distribution. The title "Who Buys Shares?" captures the desperation of investors trying to sell worthless paper as the scheme collapsed.

Rarity Notes

Original 1720 silver. Mississippi Bubble satirical medal. Dutch production. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-118; Mississippi Bubble satire; John Law 1720; Who Buys Shares?