Fine Copy of Fisher on American Medals

Fisher, J. Francis. DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN MEDALS. Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Third Series, Volume VI (Boston: American Stationers’ Company, 1837). 8vo, modern maroon half morocco, gilt, with marbled sides; spine with five raised bands, ruled and decorated in gilt; two green morocco spine labels, gilt. (4), 300 pages. [Fisher’s article comprises pages 286 to 293.] Fine. A lovely copy of one of the landmarks of early U.S. numismatic literature. Joshua Francis Fisher’s work is only the second article published in the United States discussing American coins or medals from the point of view of a numismatist. While a number of publications predate this and James Mease’s 1821 “Description of Some of the Medals Struck in Relation to Important Events in North America” (generally regarded as the first truly numismatic article published in this country on U.S. medals), those early publications were written for merchants, bankers, lawyers, politicians and other people who dealt with monetary issues on a daily basis. Little had been written from the point of view of one who studies coins and medals, with John C. Kunze’s 1800 description of his collection being the notable exception (though the Kunze work focused little of its attention on American coins and medals). Both Fisher’s and Mease’s articles are rare, with the present work being distinctly harder to find than the Mease works of the 1830s. The article itself is far from being a rehashing of Mease’s previous work: in fact, they list only one medal in common: the “Washington before Boston” medal of the Comitia Americana series. Fisher describes 14 Washington medals, 5 Franklin medals, one each depicting Jefferson and Benjamin Rush, 3 medals of the Revolution and 14 earlier colonial medals including the very rare Lord and Lady Baltimore medal. Fisher’s article is more concerned with colonial-era medals than Mease’s, which mostly describes the Comitia Americana series and related medals. Attinelli 111. Ex Francis Jay Underhill Library, with his engraved armorial bookplate; ex David F. Fanning Numismatic Literature, Auction II, lot 315 (since rebound).