1720 Silver Medal Betts-140, John Law - Mississippi Scheme

Coin Details

Auction Record

$10,800 MS62 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1720 silver medal (Betts-140) is another Mississippi Scheme satirical piece in the extensive series documenting John Law's financial disaster. The Betts-140 medal specifically references the Mississippi Scheme by name, directly connecting the speculative bubble to its supposed basis in France's Louisiana colonial territory. The Mississippi Company controlled a monopoly on French colonial trade and had absorbed France's national bank, tax collection apparatus, and tobacco monopoly — creating a financial conglomerate whose collapse brought down the entire French monetary system. Silver medals in the Mississippi Bubble series are scarcer than copper or brass versions, as silver pieces were produced for wealthier collectors and have higher intrinsic melt value that has reduced surviving populations over three centuries.

Rarity Notes

Original 1720 silver. Mississippi Scheme medal. Silver version scarcer than base metal. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-140; Mississippi Scheme; John Law 1720; Louisiana colonial trade