1792 Medal Bergsoe-4 Abolition of Slave Trade, Silver

Coin Details

Auction Record

$26,400 AU53 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1792 silver medal, cataloged as Bergsoe-4, commemorates the abolition of the slave trade. The year 1792 was pivotal in the abolitionist movement, as Denmark became the first European nation to formally decree an end to its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade (effective 1803). The Bergsoe catalog documents Scandinavian medals, and this piece commemorates the Danish decree, making it a significant document of early abolitionist sentiment in medallic form. Silver composition reflects the importance of the subject and the prestige of the commemoration. Anti-slavery and abolition medals form a small but historically significant collecting niche, documenting the long campaign against human bondage through numismatic objects. This 1792 medal predates the British abolition of the slave trade by fifteen years and American abolition by over seventy years.

Rarity Notes

Bergsoe-4, silver. 1792 abolition medal. Anti-slavery medals are rare and historically significant. Strong demand from social history collectors.

Cross References

PCGS #921212; Bergsoe-4; Abolition of Slave Trade, Silver