1792 Medal Bergsoe-4 Abolition of Slave Trade, White Metal

Coin Details

Auction Record

$7,800 UNC Details 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1792 white metal medal, cataloged as Bergsoe-4, is the base metal version of the slave trade abolition commemoration. White metal made this important historical medal accessible to a broader audience than the silver version, extending the abolitionist message to those who could not afford precious metal commemoratives. The white metal composition was common for widely distributed political and social cause medals throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Anti-slavery medals served both commemorative and propaganda functions, celebrating progress against the slave trade while advocating for further action. The existence of both silver and white metal versions of this 1792 medal indicates it was produced for both elite and popular audiences, maximizing its reach as both a collectible and a statement of principle. White metal abolition medals are scarce survivors of an important social movement.

Rarity Notes

Bergsoe-4, white metal. Affordable version of the abolition medal. Scarce despite broader original distribution than silver version.

Cross References

PCGS #921210; Bergsoe-4; Abolition of Slave Trade, White Metal