(c.1860-79) Medal Betts-148 Silver Restrike Guadaloupe Fortified MS(PCGS#886437)
(c.1860-79) Medal Betts-148 Silver Restrike Guadaloupe Fortified MS (PCGS#886437)
Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 1068
- 等级
- MS64
- 价格
- 6,615
- 详细说明
- 41.4 mm. 597.7 grains. Edge marked (cornucopia) ARGENT, designating this as a Paris Mint production struck between 1880 and 1898. An elusive Paris Mint production, Betts-148 was represented in the Ford collection by just a single bronze example. This silver specimen is blessed with superb ancient toning of gray, violet and gold, blending into a highly lustrous silver shade over the devices and reflective obverse fields. The obverse shows some extremely minor hairlines under the toning, otherwise this is of nearly Gem quality. The reverse appears bulged and a die break is noted near the rim right of 6 o'clock. While Betts called this the "Guadeloupe Fortified" medal, a better translation may be "Guadeloupe Defended" - from pirates like Black Bart who plagued that part of the Caribbean in 1720. This scarce Betts number offers a rich story that has still not been completely discovered.