1794 (ca. 1862) United States Arsenal Medal, Without Sun. By John Adams Bolen. Musante JAB-4. Silver. MS-63 (PCGS).27.8 mm. 108.9 grains. Lovely mottled surfaces with generous deep gray silver undertones and soft golden-brown, rose, olive and blue highlights. A bit dusky and very original in appearance, with little handling. Filing on the rims is likely as made, left by a commonplace effort by the maker to remove "fins" or high wire rims that were not seen as desirable at the time of manufacture. Well-struck on a thin flan with evidence of three distinct impressions on the reverse.<p>This is from the E Pluribus Unum Collection, which included many of Bolens personal medals and was thus a uniquely significant offering. In silver, this was missing from the Q. David Bowers Collection, though he owned copper, brass and white metal impressions. Neil Musantes collection, sold in our February 2014 sale included one in silver. It is reported that just two were struck in silver, both by Dr. Frank Edwards according to Musante. The 1868 <em>AJN</em> listing only mentions 75 in copper, while Edwin Johnson noted two in silver, and an additional 75 in brass, in 1882, commenting the dies had been sold to George B. Mason. They were later sold to Dr. Frank Edwards. There is no mention of silver impressions in the annotations of Bolens notebook. Small die flaws inside the obverse rim, near 6 oclock and in the upper right field near 10 oclock match those seen on an example of the JAB M/E-5 in our E Pluribus Unum Collection sale, tying these together as later products than the early-state copper and brass impressions offered in the following three lots.<p>Musante traced at least two examples in silver, one back to Cogans 37th sale in 1874, apparently struck over a Swiss Two-Franc coin. A second piece was Edwards own specimen, appearing in Cogans October 1865 sale, with possible later offerings in Strobridges 26th sale (June 1876) and then Cogans 62nd sale (September 1878). The last of these offerings was purchased by T. Harrison Garrett, which means it is the specimen offered here. A great rarity with a possible provenance directly to the believed maker, Dr. Frank Smith Edwards.From the Claremont Collection. Earlier from Edward Cogans sale of the Dr. Frank Smith Edwards Collection, October 1865, lot 478 (possibly); William Strobridges sale of June 1876, lot 2463 (possibly); Edward Cogans sale of September 1878, lot 1279; T. Harrison Garrett, to Robert and John Work Garrett, by descent, 1888; Robert Garrett interest to John Work Garrett, 1919; transfer completed 1921; John Work Garrett to The Johns Hopkins University, by gift, 1942; our (Bowers & Ruddys) sale of the Garrett Collection for The Johns Hopkins University, Part IV, March 1981, lot 2034; our sale of the E Pluribus Unum Collection, November 2021 Baltimore Auction, lot 10185.
