1766 Copper Medal Betts-515, William Pitt

Coin Details

Description

This 1766 copper medal (Betts-515) honors William Pitt the Elder for his opposition to the Stamp Act, which Parliament repealed in 1766 largely due to Pitt's impassioned advocacy for colonial rights. Pitt argued in Parliament that taxation without representation was a violation of the fundamental rights of Englishmen and that the colonies could not be taxed by a body in which they had no voice. The grateful colonists erected statues, named cities, and struck medals in his honor. The copper composition of this Betts-515 version made it affordable for wide distribution among the colonial population. Collectors have pursued Betts medals since the nineteenth century, when numismatists first recognized these pieces as a coherent body of historical documentation worthy of systematic study and cataloging. The Pitt medals are among the most historically important in the Betts catalog, as the Stamp Act crisis was the first major step on the road to American independence.

Rarity Notes

Original 1766 copper. William Pitt / Stamp Act subject is one of the most historically significant in the catalog. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-515; William Pitt the Elder; Stamp Act repeal 1766; copper