(1759) Bronze Medal Betts-421, Quebec Taken

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,140 XF40 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Betts-421 in bronze commemorates the capture of Quebec on September 13, 1759, the single most consequential battle in North American colonial history. General James Wolfe's forces scaled the cliffs below Quebec at night, appearing on the Plains of Abraham above the city in a maneuver that stunned the French garrison. The resulting battle lasted less than an hour but decided the fate of New France. Both commanding generals died -- Wolfe on the battlefield and the Marquis de Montcalm of his wounds the following day. Betts-421 is one of several medal designs commemorating this pivotal victory, and the bronze composition made it accessible to the broad public that celebrated Wolfe as a martyred hero. The fall of Quebec effectively ended French rule in Canada, and the battle has been commemorated in art, literature, and numismatics ever since as the defining moment of the colonial struggle for North America.

Rarity Notes

Bronze Quebec Taken medal. One of the most historically significant colonial medals. Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Betts-421; PCGS #921157