(1860-1879) Bronze Medal Betts-39, Dampville

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,645 AU58 01-13-2015 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze restrike of the Dampville medal (Betts-39) was produced at the Paris Mint during the 1860-79 restrike period. The original 1658 medal honors the Duc de Dampville (Henri de Montmorency-Damville), who served as Viceroy of New France and played a role in early French colonial administration in North America. Betts-39 is among the earliest medals in the Betts catalog, reflecting French involvement in the New World during the mid-seventeenth century. The Dampville medal is prized by collectors of early French colonial Americana as a tangible link to the administrative apparatus that governed France's North American territories before the better-known era of Frontenac and the Sun King's imperial ambitions. This later Paris Mint restrike from the 1860-79 period provides access to a design whose originals are extremely rare.

Rarity Notes

Paris Mint bronze restrike, 1860-79 period. Original 1658 strikings are extremely rare. Restrikes are scarce.

Cross References

Betts-39; Dampville; Duc de Montmorency; French colonial America 1658