1720 AR Medal Betts-118, Who Buys Shares? MS(PCGS#921996)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

2003

等级

AU50

价格

29,709

详细说明

1720 John Law / Who Will Buy Shares Medal. Betts-118, Adams-18. Silver. AU-50 (PCGS). 34.5 mm. "B 118" (the Betts number) and "6369" carefully penned in India ink and lacquered in the upper left reverse field. One of the most visually evocative of the John Law types, Betts-118 depicts a John Law in a wide stance blowing shares out of the end of a bellows while saying WER KAVFT ACTIEN or "Who buys shares?" Adams quotes Grueber's translation of the peripheral legend: "who in his desire for money will allow himself to be led by the wind?" The reverse is similarly interesting, with the dog from Aesop's fable staring into the creek from a bridge, but instead of losing his bone while grasping for the one he sees in the reflection, the dog has lost a satchel full of paper into the water. This example shows lovely deep golden and coppery toning with blue highlights. Both sides show considerable remaining luster amidst a scattering of contact marks. A scrape below GELD is noted but blends in. Adams calls this variety "relatively common, Rarity-5." It's perhaps more common than most Law medals (Ford had four of these), but none have sold since 2017 and only three have sold since our 2006 Ford sale. Provenance: From the Skyler Liechty Collection. Earlier from Fred Baldwin (London) to an American collector, ca. 1960; John Kraljevich, December 2013. Collector envelope with attribution and provenance notes included. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.