(1763) AE Medal Betts-508, Charleston Social Club, BN MS(PCGS#613824)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

8116

等级

MS64BN

价格

297,095

详细说明

Classic 1763 Charles Town Social Club Medal Rarity Finer of Two in Private Hands 1763 Charleston Social Club Medal. Betts-508. Bronze, 35.7 x 33.4 mm. MS-64 (PCGS). 248.0 grains. A superbly preserved example of this classic rarity, one of the most distinctive and legendary in the entire Betts series. Struck on a custom made oval planchet, neatly punch-cut and hand filed on the rims around much of the circumference of both sides. As indicated by the lofty grade, the surfaces and preservation of this medal are exquisite, with rich medium brown surfaces, barely faded from mint color, enriched by blue highlights and abundant original red around the obverse legends and across the reverse. The strike is sharp, and the details are definitive. No significant marks, spotting, or flaws are seen, though a curved lintmark above OC of SOCIAL and a natural pit above DC of the date are noted as provenance markers. Aside from a thin die crack from the rim to the upper right serif of the final date numeral, there are no significant die state hallmarks. The silver example mentioned by Betts, rumored but dismissed without in hand confirmation since the book's 1894 publication, has been located in the Yale University Collection by Christopher McDowell. It is holed and worn, clearly used for its intended purpose. McDowell's forthcoming book designates that piece (fairly) as original while classing copper strikes as restrikes. The "die rust" or spalling visible on this specimen is infinitesimal, like the tiny diagonal artifact directly behind the left figures head, and it's doubtful such markers would survive the wear seen on the silver specimen. We see no reason to think the copper examples were struck at a different time than the silver one(s), though clearly their purpose was a bit different. The provenance on one of the copper pieces extends back to 1817 (to a collection that was being actively built in the 1750s and 1760s) and we see no evidence it would have been struck later. This was cataloged in the 2006 Ford sale as the "finer of two privately owned." It was certainly the one John Ford preferred, as he owned both and chose to sell the other example to Lucien LaRiviere. In truth, both are lovely, well struck, and show exceptional color. Every other recorded specimen is in an institutional holding. As a unique insight into social life in the urban South in colonial times, the Charles Town Social Club medal is an evocative object, recalling the wealth and leisure enjoyed by the merchant and planter class in places like Charleston. There is nothing like it in the Betts series (though the Annapolis Social Club medal comes closest). Its fame and rarity have always made it a red letter inclusion in an advanced collection, though the number of collectors who have owned one since the turn of the 20th century can just about be counted on one hand. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex the F.C.C. Boyd Estate to John J. Ford, Jr.; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIV, May 2006, lot 322. To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here. PCGS# 613824.