1781 (1787) Nathanael Greene at Eutaw Springs Medal. Betts-597. Bronze, 56 mm. MS-63 (PCGS). 1285.7 grains. Plain concave edge with a somewhat wavy or rippled appearance and a collar mark below 9 oclock relative to the obverse. One of just 24 struck in bronze in 1787, the finest of the three that ended up in the Ford Collection. Lively and lustrous light olive brown surfaces with significant gloss and some light reflectivity. A beautifully made and superbly preserved example, with Dupres designs excellently realized on both sides. All fine details are present, down to the guide lines left in the reverse exergue. The reverse shows a bit of peripheral double striking, but it is more evident on the obverse, a reminder of the effort required to bring a medal like this up to its full relief. Some minor old spots are present, and a dull scratch is well hidden in the right reverse field between the wing and Fames windswept hem, but the surfaces are otherwise close to pristine. A rim cud is seen above LI of NATHANIELI, as noted on other original examples.
Much as flecks of gold are often encountered on other low-mintage originals in bronze, such as Morgan at Cowpens, this example shows one imbedded into the reverse field in the lower left reverse field, opposite the lowest flag finial.
One of the very finest known examples of this outstanding rarity, comparable to the magnificent Lt. Col. Lewis Morris specimen we sold for $86,250 in September 2011 (noting at the time that it was "certainly in contention for the finest known in bronze, along with the primary Ford piece," the medal offered here).
The original dies for this medal apparently struck fewer than 30 medals: Greenes own gold (now at the Rhode Island Historical Society), Washingtons silver (at the Massachusetts Historical Society), and 23 specimens in bronze that were transported to the United States along with the dies in 1787. A silver example is in the enigmatic (but nearly complete) set in the collection of Viennas Kunsthistoriches Museum. Another silver one, sold in the June 1855 Bangs sale, has since disappeared into the ether. The copper medals, like this, that were sent to the United States in 1787 had a very particular purpose, as enunciated by a resolution of the Continental Congress of October 26, 1787: "Ordered that the Secretary of the United States for the Department of foreign Affairs transmit one of the copper medals struck in Honor of General Greene to each of the said Generals Aides, who acted during his Command in the Southern Department." Most seen show evidence of non-numismatic handling, indicating that these pieces were not struck for museum collections or contemporary numismatists, but for distribution to a non-collector audience. This is one of two examples in contention for honors as finest known. Beyond those and Fords other two, most known examples are damaged or worn. As best as we can discern, there are only eight of these in private hands.
The 1781 Battle of Eutaw Springs was a small engagement that ended in something of a draw, but Greenes strategy had won. He had kept Cornwallis Southern force divided and occupied British attention in the Carolinas. He kept his army together, and he controlled most of inland South Carolina. As Greene played cat and mouse in the Southern Department, Cornwallis marched to his doom in Virginia. He arrived in Yorktown on August 1, a month before Eutaw Springs. When Greenes army left the field on September 8, the French Navy had taken control of the Chesapeake, sailed up the James River, and essentially sealed Cornwallis fate. Within a week, Washington and Lafayette arrived on Virginias Middle Peninsula. The game was up. Greene had played his part flawlessly, and helped assure American victory. Congress voted him a gold medal barely a week after Cornwallis laid down his arms for the last time.
From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier from the Wayte Raymond estate; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIV, May 2006, lot 222.
