1888 Joseph Francis Life Saving Medal. By Louis Saint-Gaudens. Julian LS-13. Bronze. About Uncirculated.
102.7 mm. These medals were authorized by Congress to honor Joseph Francis, an inventor whose metal lifeboats were lauded as an important innovation of the 19th century. R.W. Julian (1977) recounts that bronze examples of this medal required 50 impressions over a painstaking 25-hour process to bring up full detail. Consequently this largest format of the Francis medal is very rare; after 1945 the Mint productions of this medal were struck from much more manageable 76-mm dies. This example housed in its original leather and velvet presentation case, which is a bit tattered, yet complete and functional. (Total: 1 medal; 1 case)
From our October 2018 Baltimore Auction, lot 148.

Estimate: $350