1776 (ca. 1851) Declaration of Independence Medal. By Charles Cushing Wright. Musante GW-181, Baker-53. Struck Bronze. MS-65 (PCGS).90.8 mm. 5678.3 grains. An exceptionally beautiful example of this huge, impressively rendered, extremely rare and highly prized work. Rich caramel brown bronze surfaces are largely consistent with just a trace of somewhat deeper mahogany tone close to the rims in places. Glossy and slightly reflective, the fields would readily show even the most minor flaw and yet little is evident. One tiny dark speck beneath the bust is noted, as is a remarkably small rim imperfection on the obverse near 3 oclock. Otherwise, the medal is essentially pristine and probably one of the nicest of the few known to survive.
Over nearly a 20-year span, we have only offered three different examples of this medal. Looking back further we can add this medal from the Ford sale in 2004, LaRivieres in 1999 and Steinbergs from 1992. We find none in the Heritage archives. George Fuld knew of only three when he published the revised edition of Bakers work in 1965, while Rulau and Fuld estimated just five or six known in 1998. In the Ford sale where this was last offered, Michael Hodder commented that "there are probably fewer than 10 of these solid medals surviving today." We are aware of nine specimens. The details of this medal make it clear why many consider it Charles Cushing Wrights greatest achievement. The obverse bust, taken from Houdon, is expressive and beautifully rendered in high relief. The reverse depiction of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence, after Trumbulls monumental canvas accomplished ca. 1817 for the U.S. Capitol, is remarkably detailed down to the individual faces and other attributes. A thin die crack on that side, from near the center through John Adams head and Benjamin Franklins wrist, undoubtedly contributed to the rarity of the medal today, yet the dies survived and were kept by Wright through his lifetime. They were sold in Thomas Elders December 1913 sale. The lot included the obverse and reverse dies, the secondary reverse featuring the harbor scene and 18 lines of text, an obverse portrait hub and collar. All five items were in Wrights own custom fitted box. Most collectors will have to make do with one of the occasionally seen electrotype copies, which are desirable enough ("Admirable" and "quite deceptive" in Bakers words) to make them fairly valuable, but few will ever be able to own one of these extraordinary medals. As noted previously, we are aware of nine solid bronze specimens, as offered here. They tend to only appear when truly landmark collections are sold.
As we wrote in our 2019 offering of one, "it is said that it took him [C.C. Wright] two years to complete the dies for this medal, and that just 10 examples were struck from them." Considering that we know of nine survivors, it would seem that these were recognized as special from the time of their creation, and they tended to be thoughtfully cared for by those who acquired them. The first public appearance we are aware of was in the February 1859 Augustus B. Sage sale of the Henry Bogert Collection, where it was commented that "this is undoubtedly, the finest medal ever cut in this country."From the John D. Miner Collection. Earlier from F.C.C. Boyd; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part II, May 2004, lot 56.
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