1864 George Washington / Soldiers Fair Medal. By John Adams Bolen. Musante JAB-16, Musante GW-679, Fuld-760-1e, Baker-365. White Metal. MS-64 (NGC).28 mm. Lovely light silver gray with some prooflike character remaining in the fields adding to the overall eye appeal. Just an all-around pleasing example of a medal that almost always has a condition qualifier added to the description from the following list: dull gray; worn; pested; damaged; holed, or some other problem. A survey of the images of white metal impressions of this variety in our archives speaks volumes. Though this is not a rare medal, this is one of the nicest we recall having handled.<p>As we have presented in past offerings:<p><em>The Soldiers Fair was held in Springfield from December 19 to 24, 1864. It was a charitable event, with proceeds earmarked for the Soldiers Rest, a facility maintained for soldiers who were traveling through Springfield by rail. This designation was different from certain related events, usually known as Sanitary Fairs, in which the proceeds went to the United States Sanitary Commission (which also provided services to soldiers.). The event was staged in the Springfield City Hall. A special newspaper, </em>The Springfield Musket<em>, was issued during the fair. Among the exhibits and concessions were a United States Post Office stand which sold postage, including a special 10-cent Soldiers Fair stamp (all known original letters with this stamp bear the postmark date of December 20); and the New England Kitchen, staffed by local ladies who dispensed home-style meals. The December 23rd issue of </em>The Springfield Musket<em> noted that John A. Bolen, "one of the best die sinkers in New England," was on hand and had struck hundreds of medals in recent days.</em><p>The Johnson list indicates two impressions in copper and 350 in tin, but nowhere near that number survives today.From the Claremont Collection. Earlier from Heritages April 2021 Certified American Tokens & Medals Special Monthly Auction, lot 93184.
