1781 (ca. 1789) William Washington at Cowpens Medal. Betts-594. Silver, 46 mm. Uncirculated Details--Cleaned (PCGS). 718.7 grains. Plain concave edge with a subtle, thin collar mark below 3 oclock relative to the obverse. Light silver gray with darker pewter gray tones around devices and peripheries. Both sides retain a good deal of lustrous reflectivity in the fields. Toning spots are present on both sides, and moderate hairlines are visible on both as well. Sharply struck, with exceptional full fine details throughout Duviviers design. The obverse rims show some filing, as made, to knock down a wire rim or "fin," while the original lathed details of the flat outer rim of the reverse are more visible within a narrow band of mint filing. Adams-Bentley State 2, with a spalling pit right of the right ribbon above QUOD atop the reverse; this is the same die state as the Dreyfuss-Adams specimen that brought $26,400 in our November 2019 sale.<p><p>The Adams Bentley census lists four known in silver: George Washingtons own in the Massachusetts Historical Society, one in the "Mid-Atlantic Collection" (i.e. the Margolis Collection), the Adams/"New England" specimen, and one in the "Western Collection," i.e. the Ford Collection. Alas, when John J. Ford Jr.s magnificent Comitia Americana medal accumulation came to market in May 2006, no silver William Washington medal was included therein. Thus, even Adams and Bentley can account for no more than two in private hands. It is engaging to ponder which of these might have been William Washingtons own, since his rank of Lieutenant Colonel meant his medal was to be silver instead of gold. Washington received his medal from his kinsman, President George Washington, on March 25, 1790.<p><p>Without William Washingtons heroism at Cowpens, its unlikely Morgans plan would have ended in victory. Washington is little remembered today, even though his famous last name created a demand for restrikes of this medal that far outstripped restrikes of medals given to more famous Americans. Well before the American medal collecting craze took hold in the late 1850s, a substantial number of restrikes (almost all bronze) had been struck at the Paris Mint, mostly for the American market. The lack of scarcity of other forms of William Washington medals has made silver originals like this unheralded rarities. With the Adams specimen in strong hands, there is unlikely to be another opportunity to acquire one any time soon.<p> From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier said to be from a Kunst und Munzen (Lugano) auction sale in 1972, but not located in our examination of their catalogs from that era.
