(1747) Gold Medal Betts-382, Anson's Voyage

Coin Details

Auction Record

$28,800 MS61 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This gold medal, Betts-382, commemorates Lord Anson's Voyage around the world (1740-1744). George Anson's circumnavigation during the War of Jenkins' Ear was one of the most remarkable naval voyages of the eighteenth century. Setting out with six ships and nearly 2,000 men, Anson returned with only one ship and fewer than 500 survivors, but carrying a captured Spanish treasure galleon worth over half a million pounds. The gold composition of this medal reflects the enormous wealth Anson captured and his subsequent elevation to the peerage. Colonial-era medals were produced at royal mints, private workshops, and jewelers' studios across Europe, with production quality ranging from masterfully engraved official issues to crudely cast provincial pieces. Anson's voyage demonstrated both the extraordinary dangers and potentially enormous rewards of naval operations in the Pacific during wartime.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare in gold. Among the most prestigious Betts medals.

Cross References

Betts-382