(1729) Bronze Medal Betts-160, Louis XV Indian Peace

Coin Details

Description

Betts-160 in bronze is one of the French Louis XV Indian Peace medals, produced around 1729 for distribution to Native American leaders as diplomatic gifts. Indian Peace medals are among the most historically significant items in the Betts catalog, representing the tangible instruments of European-Native American diplomacy. The French distributed these medals to allied chiefs to maintain trading relationships and military alliances against the English and their Native allies. The obverse typically features Louis XV's portrait, while the reverse depicts scenes of friendship, trade, or allegorical peace imagery. Indian Peace medals were worn by Native leaders as symbols of their alliance with France, and their distribution was carefully managed by colonial officials who understood the diplomatic significance of each medal. French Indian Peace medals are rarer than their later British and American counterparts, as fewer were produced and many were buried with their recipients or lost.

Rarity Notes

Bronze French Indian Peace medal. Highly significant for colonial diplomacy history. Scarce -- many were lost or buried with recipients.

Cross References

Betts-160; PCGS #960892