(1721) Bronze Medal Betts-148, Guadaloupe

Coin Details

Auction Record

$840 MS63BN 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Betts-148 commemorates the French fortification of Guadeloupe in 1721, strengthening this important Caribbean sugar island against potential English or Dutch attack. This bronze (AE) striking celebrates the engineering and military investment that France made to protect one of its most valuable colonial possessions. Guadeloupe's sugar plantations generated enormous wealth for French planters and merchants, making the island a prime target during every European war. The fortification program of 1721 occurred during the relatively peaceful early years of Louis XV's reign, when France invested in colonial infrastructure rather than waging active warfare. The medal's design features military engineering imagery, fortification plans, or allegorical representations of colonial defense. Guadeloupe remained French through numerous conflicts and is still an overseas department of France today, making it one of the most enduring legacies of the colonial period documented in the Betts catalog.

Rarity Notes

Bronze striking. Scarce Caribbean colonial defense medal. French West Indies material is always in demand.

Cross References

Betts-148; PCGS #614110