(1763) Bronze Medal Betts-508, Charleston Social Club

Coin Details

Auction Record

$40,800 MS64BN 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze medal, Betts-95, commemorates the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702. The engagement was a decisive Anglo-Dutch naval victory that resulted in the destruction of the Franco-Spanish treasure fleet. While much of the treasure had been hastily unloaded before the battle, the English and Dutch still captured significant quantities of silver. The battle had important propaganda value: England's Queen Anne ordered the captured silver to be coined into special issues marked "VIGO," creating one of the most famous series in English numismatics. The medallic record of colonial America provides evidence that standard historical accounts sometimes overlook, documenting diplomatic encounters, treaty negotiations, and military engagements through the perspectives of the participating European powers. The Betts-95 medal documents this pivotal naval engagement from a French perspective, acknowledging the loss while contextualizing it within the broader war.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Bronze Vigo Bay medal with interesting French colonial perspective.

Cross References

Betts-95