HERITAGE OFFERS 1755 SAFETY AT SEA MEDAL

 

1755 French Colonies in North America, Safety at Sea Medal, Betts-392, Frossard-52, Eimer-652, Lecompte-97a, MS62 PCGS. Silver. 35 mm. 14.5 g. Signed P.P.W. (Peter Paul Werner, Nuremberg). Mercury appears at the central obverse between two war ships, the left flying an Irish flag and the right flying a French flag. On the reverse, a Native American appears at left holding a bow and arrow with an alligator at his feet. A crowned female figure seated upon a seahorse appears at right holding a scepter and temple.

Alternately described as a Franco-American jeton by Frossard and as a medal by Betts, this colonial issue may commemorate the action of June 8, 1755 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between England and France. However, other theories exist. Writing in the July 1889 issue of the American Journal of Numismatics, George Parsons described it as an "invocation for peace, a protest against the more general hostilities which were likely to follow the events of the previous summer" -- a reference to the onset of the French and Indian War in 1754.

The 1755 Safety at Sea medal/jeton is a major rarity. Jean Lecompte listed five known examples in his 2007 reference. We are aware of the three silver pieces in the Ford Collection (this being the finest), the Partrick example in AU58 NGC, the Q. David Bowers piece in Choice XF, and the Lecompte plate coin also graded MS62 PCGS. The Gerald Hart piece that sold in 1888 is now in the American Numismatic Society Collection, as is one of the three Ford examples, leaving perhaps five of seven known representatives in private hands. The Lecompte piece realized €10,200 in October 2021 and the Partrick coin brought $11,400 in March 2021.

This spectacular offering is arguably the finest of those listed. It is tied with one of the other Ford examples and the Lecompte piece for finest at PCGS, where it serves as the CoinFacts plate image (10/22). Each side displays original iridescence in shades of cobalt-blue, violet, and golden-orange. The strike is sharp, the rims are crisp, and insignificant flecks are well-hidden beneath the gorgeous toning. An important opportunity for serious specialists in the Canadian and American colonial series.

Ex: Wayte Raymond Estate; John J. Ford; Ford Collection, Part XIV (Stack's, 5/2006), lot 110 (original lot tag included); Baltimore Auction (Stack's Bowers, 3/2017), lot 3; Michael Joffre Collection of Canadian Historical Medals (Geoffrey Bell Auctions, 4/2022), lot 55.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1755 French Colonies in North America, Safety at Sea Medal... (https://coins.ha.com/itm/medals-and-tokens/1755-french-colonies-in-north-america-safety-at-sea-medal-betts-392-frossard-52-eimer-652-lecompte-97a-ms62-pcgs/p/1351-92001.s)

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