(1758) Bronze Medal Betts-410, Louisbourg

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,160 MS63BN 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper medal, Betts-410, is the copper version of the Louisbourg Taken medal from 1758. Copper medals provided an affordable alternative to silver for commemorating the victory. The fall of Louisbourg had immediate strategic consequences: it gave Britain control of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, cut off New France's maritime lifeline to the mother country, and opened the way for the direct assault on Quebec that would follow in 1759. The iconographic vocabulary of colonial medals drew heavily on classical mythology and allegory, with figures representing continents, rivers, virtues, and vices arranged in compositions that conveyed complex political messages. The garrison and civilian population of Louisbourg, totaling several thousand, were deported to France, and the fortress was subsequently demolished to prevent it from ever being used again as a French military base.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Copper version of the Louisbourg Taken medal.

Cross References

Betts-410 (copper)