1781 Silver Medal Betts-579, Admiral Rodney

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,760 MS62 04-03-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1781 silver medal (Betts-579) honors Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney, the British naval commander who achieved significant victories in the Caribbean theater during the American Revolution. Rodney's naval campaigns in the West Indies were crucial to the broader war, as Caribbean sugar islands were considered more economically valuable than the American colonies themselves. Rodney captured the Dutch island of St. Eustatius in February 1781, seizing vast quantities of contraband supplies destined for the American rebels. His later victory at the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782 restored British naval supremacy in the Caribbean. Medallic commemoration of colonial events was not limited to military victories — treaties, explorations, trading company foundings, missionary activities, and colonial administrative milestones all received medallic recognition. The silver Betts-579 commemorates a British perspective that is often overlooked in American-centric accounts of the Revolution.

Rarity Notes

Original 1781 silver. Admiral Rodney / Caribbean theater. British perspective. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-579; Admiral Rodney; Caribbean theater; Anglo-Dutch War