1723 Lead Medal Betts-112, Company of the Indies

Coin Details

Description

This 1723 lead (Pb) medal (Betts-112) relates to the Company of the Indies (Compagnie des Indes), the successor organization to John Law's Mississippi Company after the bubble's collapse in 1720. The Company of the Indies continued to manage French colonial trade, including the Louisiana territory, under restructured management after Law fled France in disgrace. The lead composition is unusual and indicates this may be a trial striking, a proof impression, or a piece produced from worn dies using a soft metal that could capture detail without the pressure required for harder metals. Lead medals are inherently fragile and susceptible to surface degradation, making surviving examples in identifiable condition relatively scarce. The 1723 date places this in the immediate aftermath of the bubble, during the painful reorganization of French colonial finances.

Rarity Notes

Original 1723 lead medal. Unusual metal for medals. Fragile medium — surviving examples are scarce.

Cross References

Betts-112; Company of the Indies; Compagnie des Indes 1723; post-Mississippi Bubble