1796 AR Token Myddelton PR(PCGS#649)

November 2021 Baltimore U.S. Coins auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

2125

等级

PR65

价格

183,488

详细说明

Exciting Myddelton Token A Rarity Struck in Silver 1796 Myddelton Token. W-8905. Rarity-6. Silver. Proof-65 (NGC). 177.6 grains. Offered is an example of what is often referred to as the most beautiful coin or token issued for Colonial America. An expertly produced Gem Proof, both sides exhibit intricate detail throughout the design. Both sides are warmly toned in a blend of mauve-gray and olive, direct lighting calling forth exceptional iridescent undertones of cobalt blue, salmon pink and antique gold. Bold reflective qualities in the fields are also appreciable with persistence, which features contrast nicely with the more satiny texture to the design elements. Impressively smooth, this gorgeous specimen will please even the most discerning collector. While never intended to circulate in America, this piece has a profound story to tell about American immigration in the post-Revolutionary period. Philip Parry Price Myddelton controlled a large piece of real estate in Kentucky but, while attempting to people it with useful tradesmen interested in emigrating from England, ran afoul of a British law meant to stop the exporting of valuable laborers. The project ended, but not before the dies for Myddelton's tokens, executed by Conrad Kuchler at Boulton and Watt, had been executed. The tokens became popular among the collectors of the day, and most were preserved in contemporary British cabinets. The obverse motif depicts allegorical figures: Hope presenting two small children "genii" to Liberty. We note that both women have remarkably masculine faces, and Hope's face appears to have been modeled after King George III. The face of Liberty is possibly that of Henry Laurens (1724 to 1792) who was a one-time president of the Continental Congress, charged with treason by the British government, and held prisoner in the Tower of London after capture at sea during the War for Independence (he is said to be the only American ever held there). As Hope is depicted as bowing toward an upright Liberty, by inference we seem to have the King of England bowing before an accused traitor -- Henry Laurens -- an image that may well have been regarded as seditious at the time, if anyone had noticed. Fewer than 25 silver specimens exist today. Most are pretty nice, though few are as richly original and carefully preserved as this one. Provenance: Ex Robert A. Vlack; Donald G. Partrick; Heritage's sale of the Donald G. Partrick Collection, April 2021 CSNS Signature Auction, lot 3037. NGC Census: 1; 1 finer (Proof-66 *). The corresponding PCGS Population is also 1/1. PCGS# 649. NGC ID: 2B67. Click here for certification details from NGC. Additional image by NGC Photo Vision. Learn more at NGCcoin.com