(1770) Bronze Medal Betts-525, George Whitefield

Coin Details

Auction Record

$576 MS60BN 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Betts-525 in bronze commemorates George Whitefield, the famous English evangelist whose preaching tours of the American colonies during the Great Awakening transformed colonial religious life. Whitefield died in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on September 30, 1770, and memorial medals were produced to honor one of the most famous public figures in the English-speaking world. Whitefield was arguably the first celebrity of the colonial era -- his open-air sermons drew crowds of thousands, and his name was known throughout the British Empire. Benjamin Franklin, though not conventionally religious, was so impressed by Whitefield's oratory that he published many of his sermons. This bronze memorial medal preserves Whitefield's portrait for posterity, documenting the cultural significance of the Great Awakening and the personal fame of its most charismatic preacher. Memorial medals for religious figures are relatively uncommon in the Betts catalog.

Rarity Notes

Bronze Whitefield memorial medal. Unusual religious subject in the Betts catalog. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-525; PCGS #636821