1783 Medal Frères Montgolfier Champ de Mars Bronzed AE MS(PCGS#970477)

February 2025 Collectors Choice Online Auction - World Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

71027

等级

MS63

价格

11,355

详细说明

Joos-a.2; Malpas-3. By Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux. Diameter: 42mm. Obverse: Conjoined busts of the Montgolfier brothers facing left, perimeter legend JOSE . ET ETIEN . MONTGOLFIER above; legend POUR AVOIR RENDU L'AIR NAVIGABLE below; signature N. GATTEAUX on truncation of bust; Reverse: Balloon aloft atop thunderstorm raining on the Champ de Mars in Paris, spectators, buildings and trees below; four-line legend and date EXPERIENCE DU CHAMP DE MARS 27 . AOUST / 1783 . ENVERTU D'UNE SOUSCRIPTION / SOUS LA DIRECT . DE M . FAUJAS / DE ST. FOND. in exergue below. In an effort to compete with the Montgolfier-based ballooning phenomenon, Professor Jacques Charles anticipated the greater lifting power of the recently-discovered hydrogen versus the Montgolfier's use of hot air. He and two brothers by the name of Robert proceeded to make a 12-ft diameter balloon of taffeta and opened a subscription to help cover the expense. The balloon was inflated the day prior to launch and preparations for moving began at two in the morning of 27 August. Even then the crowds were so thick that the guards of the night patrol could not keep them back. Nonetheless the balloon was successfully transported. At five o'clock that afternoon the cords were cut and the balloon rapidly rose above the immense gathered crowd - the buoyancy provided by hydrogen correctly anticipated. A storm gathered above the field and a shower ensued but the balloon's flight was unaffected. The expanding hydrogen destroyed the balloon over a rural area and it came crashing to earth. Frightened peasants assailed it with farming tools and tied it to a horse and took it away, leaving Charles unable to retrieve but fragments of his creation. A notice from the government was subsequently issued as a "Warning to the People on Kidnapping Air Balloons."<p>The curiosity regarding this medal is the pairing of the Montgolfier brothers with the competing balloon and vision of Jacques Charles. Nonetheless, the example of the variety displays glossy surfaces of deep mahogany that greatly accentuate the design details. Attractive and choice; in an extraordinary state of preservation.