FRANCE. Duke of Orleans/Fidelity Masonic Lodge of Paris Silver Medal, 1780. NGC MS-61.
Lab-233. By Benjamin-Simon Duvivier. Diameter: 42mm. Obverse: Cuiraissed bust of Louis Philippe II facing left, perimeter legend LUD . PHILIPP . JOS . AUREL . DUX CARNOT above; signature on arm of bust DUVIVIER F.; Reverse: Roman-style temple with burning fire atop altar within, perimeter legend PRINCIPI CARISSIMO above; three-line legend FIDELITATIS FRATERN / PARIS. / MDCCLXXX in exergue below. The Duke of Orleans was offered the position of Grand Master of the Grand Orient of France in 1771. He was not involved in the day-to-day administration, but as Labouret notes he used it as a "pretext for special social events." As a Prince of the Blood he gave a certain respectability to French Freemasonry. The temple exhibits a number of symbols readily interpretable as Masonic - the radiant tringle in the pediment, the smoking altar, the zodiac symbols on the dome's drum, and that there are seven steps leading into the temple. The exergue legend translates as "Fraternity of Fidelity," a clear reference to the Masonic Lodge of that name. This medal was commissioned by the Masonic Lodge Fidelité, founded in 1777 in Paris. A lodge report from 1779 documents the decision that "a Medal would be struck immediately bearing on the Reverse the Frontispiece of a Temple dedicated to the Grand Architect of the Universe and at the Head the Portrait of the Most Serene Brother Louis Philippe Joseph de Bourbon Duke of Chartres Grand Master of all the regular Lodges of France." The lodge presented a gold example of this medal to the Duke of Orleans. Labouret estimates the original total mintage to be 100-200 pieces, albeit with a very low survival rate. The offered medal exhibits flashy argent surfaces with a thin layer of warming champagne. Very rare and highly desirable.
Margolis had a few rather overt interests in his collecting of medallic art. One such theme was that of medals pertaining to man's earliest pursuits to conquer the heavens in the form of ballooning. The European exploits of the late 18th century are contained here across many different country categories. Also quite noticeable was his interest in the medallic art of Jewish engravers, such as Jakob Abraham and his son, Abraham Abramson, among numerous others. Across this selection of medals, these themes and topics will become obvious, adding further dimensions to the already intense focus with which Margolis pursued his collecting.
From the Richard Margolis Collection.

Estimate: $2000.00 - $3000.00