1824 AR Medal GW-112, Washington-Lafayette MS(PCGS#658798)

November 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

4338

等级

AU55

价格

36,195

详细说明

1824 Lafayette Visit Medalet Historic and Rare 1824 Lafayette Visit Medalet by Joseph Lewis. Musante GW-112, Baker-198A. Silver. Plain edge. AU-55 (PCGS). 14.4 mm. (without suspension loop). 23.9 grains. Attractive deep smoky gray toning is fairly consistent over both sides with some slightly deeper areas near the legends and nuances of gold and olive in the fields. Broad, slightly rotated lighter gray outlines at the faces of the portraits reveals a double striking of this piece, but additional evidence is difficult to see. Quite sharp and very well preserved. Just a single short scratch is seen in the field left of the date, but is easily forgiven considering how nice this piece is otherwise and just how rare it is to find with not only its suspension loop intact, but also an apparently original jump ring. This is truly a remarkable example of this very historic piece, struck in celebration of the Lafayette’s return visit and tour of America, where he was met everywhere as a hero. Many items were produced and sold on occasion of the visit, and this little trinket was one of them. As written in our recent sale of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania medals: “These have traditionally been attributed to the hand of Charles Cushing Wright. In 2008, John M. Kleeberg published a paper in the American Journal of Numismatics, Second Series, titled ‘Washington Counterstamps — the Lafayette Collection.’ Therein, he laid out convincing evidence that the maker of these medalets was not Wright, but rather New York engraver Joseph Lewis. Though he pointed out that there were three engravers advertising medalets at the time — Lewis, Robert Lovett, Sr. and James D. Stout — the best evidence for Lewis seems to be that he published more advertisements, suggesting that this bore more financial fruit and that his work was the best seller. Kleeberg outlined further evidence and noted that Lewis had sold 2,000 medalets in New York by late September 1824. Wright is not mentioned as a maker of anything beyond some Lafayette buttons for the Scoville firm, which were signed by him. The paper is an interesting read and has led most people to accept that Lewis was the engraver.” Provenance: From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. PCGS# 658798.