(Ca. 1930?) Benjamin Franklin medallion-style portrait. Brass, 42.7 mm. Extremely Fine.

72.6 grains. Cataloged in our Ford XIV as a cliche, this is simply a uniface piece of thin struck brass, with the reverse an embossed and incuse impression of the design seen on the obverse. While Mr. Margolis posited that this is a lid to a sweetmeat box, its texture and workmanship - right down to the contours of the face and the width of the double border at the perimeter - too closely resembles the Israel Sack drawer pulls for us to conclude this is anything but a larger version, here seen in an incomplete form without the attendant hardware. The surfaces are glossy golden brass in colors, free of marks or wear, though the entire object has apparently been somewhat flattened.

From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier from our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Saccone Collection, November 1989, lot 3081; our (Stack's) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIV, May 2006, lot 332.

Estimate: $750