1781 Silver Medal Betts-595, Battle of Cowpens

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,819 MS63 11-05-2015 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1781 silver medal (Betts-595) is the Battle of Cowpens Comitia Americana medal in silver. The Betts-595 design features the battle scene on the reverse, showing the moment of American triumph over Tarleton's British force. The silver composition and Comitia Americana pedigree make this one of the most significant medals in the American Revolutionary series. Congress authorized a limited number of Comitia Americana medals during the Revolution, each commemorating a specific military achievement and presented in gold to the honoree, with silver and bronze versions produced for Congress and the military. The iconographic vocabulary of colonial medals drew heavily on classical mythology and allegory, with figures representing continents, rivers, virtues, and vices arranged in compositions that conveyed complex political messages. This silver Betts-595 represents the Congressional-level production of one of America's most important military commemoratives.

Rarity Notes

Silver Betts-595. Comitia Americana Battle of Cowpens. Rare.

Cross References

Betts-595; Battle of Cowpens 1781; Comitia Americana; silver