1791 Lafayette Constituent Assembly Deputy Medal. Silver, 35 mm. Fuld LA.1791.4. MS-61 (PCGS).

Lettered edge. By Rambert Dumarest. Struck at Soho by Boulton and Watt for the Monneron Freres, Paris. Struck on a planchet polished to reflectivity, now toned lovely light gray with darker peripheral tones on the obverse, with pale blue, russet, and gold on the reverse. Some minor hairlines are present (not to be confused with the pre-striking planchet polish), some spotting, very attractive for the assigned grade. A good deal of LAFAYETTE and E of DEPUTE have been lost to die polish, a very unusual situation on this type, underscoring Mr. Margolis' suggestion that this piece was "one of the six silver Monnerons sold to S.S. Adkins per the entry of October 20, 1823 in the Mint and Coinage Day Book 1820 (two Serment de Roi, two 2 sols Liberte, one Lafayette, one Rousseau)." Mr. Margolis further posited "a silver specimen was in the Charles Bushnell collection … lot 1590. Considering its exceptional rarity in silver, (I am unaware of any other commercial listing) I believe it highly likely that the present example is Bushnell's." At the time this sold in Ford's collection in 2013 (bringing $3,818.75), we noted "Neither Olivier nor Fuld list this variety (or any of the similar 1791-dated Lafayette medalet varieties) in silver, and none were in the Patriot Collection." We have neither seen nor heard of another in the ensuing decade.

From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier likely that offered in S. Hudson and Henry Chapman's sale of the Charles I. Bushnell Collection, June 1882, lot 1590; from the F.C.C. Boyd Collection; Boyd Estate, February 1972; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XXIII, August 2013, lot 21195.

Estimate: $3500