1777 (1787) Horatio Gates at Saratoga Medal. Betts-557. Bronze. MS-63 BN (PCGS).

274.6 grains. Plain concave edge, with a collar mark at ST of STRENUO, above 3 o'clock. An unheralded rarity in the Comitia Americana series, overshadowed by U.S. Mint restrikes from these dies that were made in substantial quantities for much of the 19th century. The dies were deposited at the U.S. Mint in 1801, but before that, only 24 bronzes (and one gold) were struck at the Paris Mint in early May 1787. The finish is very distinctive from U.S. Mint productions, the edge is very distinctive, and of course the die state is very early. It is actually earlier than the silver original from the John W. Adams Collection, which shows a more developed crack between the base of O in SEPTENTRIONAL and the field above the adjacent flag. Typically original Gates medals from the first Paris emission show some evidence of wear or mishandling. Both the Adams silver original and the second known piece, a new discovery in 2022, were graded AU. The Adams original in bronze was graded Extremely Fine, as was the Ford piece (though later graded MS-62 by NGC). Only the exceptional Dorchester Heights specimen, from our August 2012 ANA sale, is a match for the quality of this one. It was impossible for the authors of the Comitia Americana book to build a census that discriminated between concave edge originals and flat edge U.S. Mint strikes from these dies, so we have no good count on how many of the original 24 still exist, but those mentioned in this paragraph are the only ones we've encountered in private hands in the last 20 years. The quality of this piece is superb, with lustrous gloss on lightly bronzed surfaces, a bit orange in the obverse field and with more orange-gold around the reverse fields and periphery. The strike is exactingly sharp, from two bold impressions, and the only flaws are some light hairlines on both sides. The eye appeal is exquisite, and this piece deserves a spot among the top rank of original Gates medals known.

From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier from Jim King at the Chicago International Coin Fair, March 1977.

Estimate: $20000