(1763) AE Medal Betts-443, Morro Castle MS(PCGS#626192)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

8111

等级

AU58

价格

10,486

详细说明

1763 Defense of Morro Castle Medal. Betts-443. Copper, 49.1 mm. AU-58 (PCGS). 825.4 grains. A high grade specimen of an avidly collected Betts number. Glossy chocolate brown with excellent visual appeal and superb detail on both sides. Some scattered marks are seen, more on the obverse than reverse, but none are serious. A horizontal scratch in the right obverse field is probably the worst of them. This medal appears in lower grades far more often than choice ones. Though dated 1763, the Morro Castle medal celebrates the valiant Spanish defense of Morro Castle the previous summer. Arguably the artistic triumph of the Betts-listed medals of the Seven Years War, the medal depicts the commanders of the fortress on the obverse and the explosion of its magazine on the reverse. Ironically enough, this is the only Spanish medal for the French and Indian War, yet it commemorates a defeat. The reverse shows an incredibly detailed scene of British troops storming the breached walls while bodies (and parts) hang in the mushroom cloud above. Struck in both copper and silver, both formats are rather scarce. The battle for the Havana fortress known as Morro Castle was one of the most significant of the war. It is perhaps little appreciated in North America, but to the people of the 18th century, Cuba was as much "America" as was Boston. The 1762 siege, two years after the capitulation of Canada, secured control of the Caribbean for England and helped wrap a bow around the American front of the Seven Years War. It could not have been done without the presence of thousands of North American colonists, indeed, more soldiers from the modern United States fought in this action than perhaps any other of the conflict. The 60th Foot, or Royal American Regiment, was present, as were militiamen from across the colonies: New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and nearly 1,000 men from Connecticut alone. Despite the battle's location in Havana, it was a battle won largely by Americans and roundly celebrated throughout the American provinces. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Charles Kirtley, via eBay, December 2004. To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here. PCGS# 626192.