(1770) Silver Medal Betts-527, George Whitefield

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,560 MS62 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Betts-527 in silver is the precious-metal version of the third Whitefield memorial medal design, offering the enhanced detail and visual quality that silver provides. The combined existence of three designs (Betts-525, 526, 527) in multiple metals demonstrates the remarkable commercial demand for Whitefield memorial pieces in 1770. George Whitefield's impact on colonial American culture was profound -- the Great Awakening he helped lead is considered one of the most important cultural movements in pre-Revolutionary America, promoting individual religious experience over institutional authority in ways that paralleled the political philosophy of the approaching revolution. Silver strikings of Betts-527 were produced in small numbers for collectors and wealthy admirers, preserving this particular artistic interpretation of Whitefield's portrait in the most prestigious available metal.

Rarity Notes

Silver Whitefield memorial medal, Betts-527 design. Few silver examples struck. Very scarce.

Cross References

Betts-527; PCGS #636822