1848 Washington National Monument Medal. Musante GW-178, Baker-320A. Silver. MS-64 (PCGS).

39.5 mm. 430.8 grains. A great rarity in silver that we are delighted to once again be able to offer. This last appeared in our 2014 Charles Wharton Collection sale, where we described it as follows: "Exquisite dusky gray-silver with rich blue, gold, green and rose iridescence mottled throughout. Well-struck in high relief, apparently on a cast flan exhibiting scattered small pits and a small flaw at 12 o'clock, all as made. A trivial rim bump on the reverse at 4 o'clock and a few light hairlines, but even considering the little imperfections, the aesthetic appeal is truly Choice. The engraver is unknown, but his hand skilled. A fine rendering of Washington, after Houdon and, on the reverse, a depiction of the proposed design for the Washington Monument obelisk. It is believed that perhaps just two or three are known in silver. When writing the John J. Ford Collection sale, Michael Hodder knew of only two, the Ford specimen and this one which is finer. An important and lovely medal with a fine provenance." There is another fine one in silver at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Neil Musante suggested that, based on style, the dies for this medal might have been by James B. Longacre, the U.S. Mint's chief engraver as of 1844. He commented that the dies are unsigned, but this may not be the case. If Longacre was indeed the engraver, what is likely his mark is hidden in the lower hair curls. Rotating the medal counterclockwise reveals two marks just above the lowest curl, which are easily taken for IL. They appear quite purposeful and do not correspond to lines of the hair in any manner.

From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. Earlier ex Dr. Thomas Hall; Carl Wurtzbach; Virgil M. Brand; New Netherlands Coin Company, ca. 1951; private treaty to Jack Collins; our (Coin Galleries') sale of the Jack Collins Collection, Part II, July 1996, lot 177; our sale of the Charles Wharton Collection, March 2014 lot 2200.

Estimate: $ 4000