1777 (1787) Horatio Gates at Saratoga Obverse Cliche. As Betts-557. Tin in contemporary gilt brass frame. MS-60 (PCGS).

274.6 grains. Frame backed with 18th century marbled paper, mount and ring at top. A remarkable object, produced by Nicholas-Marie Gatteaux between March and May 1787 as he was approaching completion of the dies for the gold medal awarded to General Gates for his epochal victory over Burgoyne at Saratoga. In the era of its production, this piece was mounted in a handsome ormolu frame, backed with fine French marbled paper, making it appropriate for wall display. In the intervening years, it has been well preserved, with good bright gilding complete on the attractive frame and no damage to the soft tin splasher it contains. The tin has oxidized to an even and attractive slate gray with only subtle and trivial evidence of pesting, mostly in the lower right field. The strike is bold and crisply detailed, showing the earliest state of the dies. We know of only six obverse cliches (also known as splashers) for the Gates at Saratoga medal. Adams owned two of these, one of which he acquired from Richard Margolis. The other was the only one John Ford ever owned. Two are in museum collections, leaving just this piece, the pair in Adams, and the example in our August 2022 sale in private hands. Any Comitia Americana medal splasher, produced during a process that involved France's best engravers and founders like Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, is a historical treasure. This finely preserved showpiece ranks high among the known cliches in its eye appeal and desirability.

From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier from Alan Weinberg at the C.O.I.N. Convention, Los Angeles, June 1974.

Estimate: $7500