1779 Medal Rhode Island - Wreath Below Ship Betts-563

Coin Details

Description

Carrying the Betts-563 catalog designation — from C. Wyllys Betts's landmark 1894 reference "American Colonial History Illustrated by Contemporary Medals" — this bronze Rhode Island Ship medal weighs 15 grams and measures 32 mm in diameter with a plain edge. The Betts number provides the standard reference point for collectors of American historical medals, and Betts-563 specifically identifies the "Wreath Below Ship" bronze variety within the Rhode Island Ship medal series. Cross-referenced as Whitman 8525 and PCGS #576, this moderately scarce piece was produced in the Netherlands to commemorate the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island, one of the significant combined Franco-American military operations of the Revolutionary War. The obverse depicts a sailing vessel in the waters of Narragansett Bay with a decorative wreath positioned below the ship, while the reverse presents a detailed cartographic rendering of the bay and surrounding landmasses. Bronze — an alloy of copper and tin — was the most common composition for 18th-century commemorative medals, and bronze examples of the Rhode Island Ship medal survive in greater numbers than the pewter, brass, or silvered variants. This medal belongs to the Post-1776 Private and Regional Issues (1778-1820) series and occupies a central position in the study of Revolutionary War numismatic commemoratives, where the Betts catalog numbering system remains the universal organizing framework more than 130 years after its publication.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Betts-563; Whitman 8525