(1720) Silver Medal Betts-120, Money's the Thing

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,320 AU55 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Betts-120 in silver, titled "Money's the Thing," is another satirical medal from the Mississippi Bubble series of 1720, one of the most creatively rich groups in all of numismatics. The motto reflects the obsession with speculation and paper wealth that consumed France during John Law's scheme to monetize France's colonial territories in Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley. Law's Compagnie du Mississippi issued shares that soared to extraordinary heights before collapsing, creating and then destroying fortunes overnight. The satirical medals produced in response form a remarkable artistic commentary on financial mania, greed, and folly. "Money's the Thing" (variations on "L'Argent fait tout") captures the mercenary spirit of the Bubble era, when traditional values were subordinated to the pursuit of profit. These medals were produced in the Netherlands and German states, where satirists delighted in lampooning France's financial catastrophe through the medallic arts.

Rarity Notes

Silver Mississippi Bubble satirical medal. Highly collectible series. Scarce in silver composition.

Cross References

Betts-120; PCGS #921997