1776 (ca. 1789) Washington Before Boston Medal. First Paris Mint Issue. First Issued "Original" Obverse / First Issued "Original" Reverse. Musante GW-09-P1, Baker-47B, Adams-Bentley 3. Bronze. Plain Edge. MS-63 (PCGS).68.8 mm. 2331.9 grains. A beautiful specimen of this landmark medallic issue featuring deep mahogany brown over much of the surface and an inviting degree of consistency in the tone. There are subtle variations in the color on both sides to be sure, but this is not unusual for early impressions from these dies; they add pleasantly to the overall aesthetic. Sharp and glossy throughout with only a few trivial surface marks in the fields. The attractive satin finish of the reliefs is clearly visible and sets these features apart from the smoother fields for a subtle cameo effect at a certain angle to the light. Many of Duviviers fine die finishing lines through the portrait are also seen when studied closely.<p>Minor natural die chips are present on the obverse, as seen on all original impressions, as the dies clearly experienced scattered isolated spalling early on, perhaps even during manufacture. These are near the lower hair curls, at the M of SUPREMO, at ER of ADSERTORI and, to a lesser degree, in other areas. That in the right obverse field is not very prominent here, but there is a patch of soft spalling behind Washingtons head. Even the original gold medal presented to Washington, certainly among the very first few struck (and one of only three early die state medals we are aware of), has most of these features. The reverse of this medal exhibits extremely slight buckling at the upper center in the field from gentle sinking of the die. This might not be easily detected once this medal is in a grading holder.<p>The Washington Before Boston is arguably the most historic of Washington medals, for it celebrates not only Washington, but a critical military victory for the Continental Army, one which would be significant in the lead-up to the establishment of the United States as an independent nation. It was the first award medal authorized by the American Congress and enjoys broad appeal among collectors focused on various aspects of American history, well beyond George Washington.<p>As noted above, Washingtons personal gold medal still exists, thankfully preserved and cared for by the Boston Public Library. A few silver originals exist (we are aware of 11, though the majority are in institutional collections). These are clearly great rarities and command six-figure sums when sold. As such, a fine original bronze is the closest most collectors may come to the original award. This said, in recent years it seems that interest has been growing for nice examples and the prices have been increasing somewhat reliably in response to that demand. It seems that collectors have come to realize just how historically significant these medals are, and it is tough to know when that trend may plateau. After all, the Washington Before Boston medal has been desirable to collectors virtually since the time of its first striking; the proof of this is that both the Paris Mint and the U.S. Mint have produced copies of various sorts for more than 200 years to fulfill collector demand. Naturally, original Paris Mint strikes like this are the most prized and the most desired, but no one is making any more originals and superior quality examples are not nearly plentiful enough for every interested collector to own one. A fine Washington Before Boston may be considered a highlight of most collections that contain one. This must be counted among the prizes of the Richard August Collection, in which it has probably resided for decades, though the earlier provenance is unrecorded.From the Richard August Collection.
