1776 (1783) AR Medal Betts-615, Libertas Americana MS(PCGS#151000)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1016

等级

MS62

价格

1,028,264

详细说明

47.5 mm. 817.7 grains. A lovely example of an American classic, nicely preserved, richly original, and worthy of inclusion in any advanced numismatic cabinet. Deep antique gray surfaces with splashes of steely-charcoal engaging the design elements, especially those at the peripheries. Direct lighting calls forth more vivid undertones to these colors, in antique gold and steel-blue, respectively. Nicely reflective in the fields on both sides, with abundant fine detail throughout the devices. Scattered marks are seen, none particularly serious, and there are some mild hairlines, as typical. The rims are smooth, and the eye appeal is strong for the assigned grade.<p>No other medal in the canon of American numismatics is invested with so much history and importance as the Libertas Americana medal. It followed the declaration of American independence, whose date is placed in the obverse legend, and the support of France in the American cause. The two greatest American victories, that of Gates at Saratoga and Washington at Yorktown, are referenced with dates in the reverse exergue. The British armies defeated on those dates, Burgoyne's force at Saratoga and that of Cornwallis at Yorktown, are incorporated into the reverse allegory as the snakes strangled by Hercules in his crib. In that allegory, France is depicted as Minerva, defending the infant from the lioness, Great Britain, whose tail curls between her hind legs. The obverse design influenced many of the depictions of Liberty that would come from the first United States Mint, directly inspiring the Liberty Cap design found on copper half cents and cents in the 1790s. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of later American medals and tokens used the design, from privately issued business cards to the United States Mint's 1945 Assay Commission medal. Its image was featured on contemporary engravings and textiles, and examples could be found in the 18th century in the collections of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams, and more. No founding father is as closely associated with the medal, of course, as Benjamin Franklin. The medal was his brainchild and pet project, and every specimen that survives traces its provenance to him.<p>Silver examples are perhaps 10 times rarer than bronze examples. Having been distributed non-numismatically, most have been mishandled, and examples this fine are exceptionally rare. The current record for a silver Libertas Americana medal sold at auction is $336,000, achieved for the extraordinary PCGS/CAC MS-64+ in our August 2024 Global Showcase Auction. The previous record holder was the PCGS MS-63+ example that traded hands for $198,000 through our June 2022 Auction. We know of another similarly priced private transaction from well over a decade ago. Our last three offerings of MS-62 (PCGS) silver examples have not been far removed from that threshold: the Martin piece brought $174,000 in August 2022, the Cardinal specimen brought $168,000 in November 2022 and, most recently, the Margolis specimen realized $180,000 in our Spring 2024 Auction. The Archangel example, also graded MS-62 by PCGS, brought $156,000 in our sale of October 2018. The present piece, with its undeniable originality and solid Mint State quality, will delight advanced bidders and have no difficulty finding its way into a world class cabinet.