1781年自由女神带杆版银章 NGC MS 62。Bust of Liberty to left with flowing tresses and liberty pole with cap, the inscription LIBERTAS AMERICANA above and the date 4 JUIL. 1776 below in exergue. There is a small die break (as struck) on the rim below the digit 4 in the date, as found on all genuine first strikes of this issue. <strong>Rev:</strong> Standing Minerva in full battle dress with spear holds a French shield over the infant Hercules (America) who is gripping a serpent in each hand, the serpents representing the American victories at Saratoga in October 1777 (the field was won for the American army by Benedict Arnold, who was wounded in the leg while rallying the American forces, though credit for the victory was given to General Horatio Gates, who remained as far as possible from the actual field of battle) and at Yorktown in October 1781. Minerva fends off a leaping lioness (England), its tail between its legs, a heraldic symbol of defeat. The inscription NON SINE DIIS ANIMOSUS INFANS (the courageous child was aided by the gods) arcs above, the dates of the British surrender by General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne at Saratoga on October 17, 1777, and the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, are below in exergue.<br /><br />This is an extremely appealing Mint State example of this classic early medal type.
Splashes of light steel highlight dominant sandy-silver patina, with undertones of iridescent blue and gold. The strike is bold with sharp to full definition for virtually all design elements. Nearly Choice in quality, a few minor handling marks are largely concealed by the toning and in no way detract from the overall lovely appearance of this piece.Although it seems like only yesterday, it was nearly 10 years ago that Whitman Publishing, LLC put out the beautiful, color-illustrated book, <em>100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens</em>, a title that has captured awards and garnered very nice reviews. Today in 2016 it remains a best seller available from any numismatic book dealer or on the Internet from Whitman.In creating the book, Katherine Jaeger and your cataloger (QDB) queried dozens of collectors, dealers, and scholars in the field of medals and tokens and invited them to submit their preferences in order, from the "greatest of all" down to No. 100. About 200 different tokens and medals were submitted. Whitman then tabulated all of the responses. The winner, and by a large margin over No. 2 was the Libertas Americana medal. Here is what we said:<em>"[The beauty of this medal], its rich history, and its inspiration for federal Liberty Cap coinage combine to make this an object of desire for many numismatists.</em><em>"The obverse depicts the goddess of America, a portrait that numismatists call Miss Liberty, facing to the left, with LIBERTAS AMERICANA above and the historical date, 4 JUIL 1776, below.
Behind her hair is a liberty cap on a pole, the cap being the ancient symbol of freedom.</em><em>"The dies for this beautiful work of art were engraved in Paris in 1782 at the behest of Benjamin Franklin, who conceived the medal and suggested the mottoes. French artist Esprit-Antoine Gibelin sketched the design, and the dies were made by Augustin Dupre.</em><em>"Franklin, who was in France at the time, described the medal in a letter to Robert R. Livingston (secretary of foreign affairs under the Confederation) on March 4, 1782:</em><em>"This puts me in mind of a medal I have had a mind to strike, since the late great event you gave me an account of, representing the United States by the figure of an infant Hercules in his cradle, strangling the two serpents; and France by that of Minerva, sitting by as his nurse, with her spear and helmet, and her robe specked with a few fleurs de lis.</em><em>"The extinguishing of two entire armies in one war is what has rarely happened, and it gives a presage of the future force of our growing empire.</em><em>"On April 15, 1783, Franklin advised Livingston:</em><em>"I have caused to be struck here the medal which I formerly mentioned to you, the design of which you seemed to approve. I enclose one of them in silver, for the President of Congress, and one in copper for yourself; the impression in copper is thought to appear best, and you will soon receive a number for the members.
"I have presented one to the King, and another to the Queen, both in gold, and one in silver to each of the ministers, as a monumental acknowledgment, which may go down to future ages, of the obligations we are under to this nation. It is mighty well received, and gives general pleasure. If the Congress approve it, as I hope they will, I may add something on the die (for those to be struck hereafter) to show that it was done by their order, which I could not venture to do until I had authority for it.
"Time increases its fame, so to speak, and today the appearance of a copper example rates multiple paragraphs in an auction catalogue, and for a silver impression a full page display may be in order."In the years since the above was written, time has indeed increased the fame of the Libertas American medal. We have had the honor of presenting several at auction in the interim, and each time there has been a lot of enthusiasm. Interest in medals has been sharply increasing, as the lore and lure of these pieces becomes more widely known. The Token and Medal Society, of which I was a founder in 1961, has done its part. The more recent Medal Collectors of America group has been dynamic as well.
Last January I gave a program for MCA at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, a presentation on medals that included the Libertas Americana. It was standing room only. Imagine that! The lure is that medals often cost tiny fractions of the prices of even medium-scarce federal coins. For the cost of an MS-65 1893-S Morgan dollar, if you could find one, you could build a wonderful collection of hundreds of different American medals, each with a fascinating story. Of course, a Gem 1893-S is great to own, and we enjoy the occasions we have them available, but medals combine affordability with history and romance.All original Libertas Americana medals are scarce-to-rare with most examples encountered in todays market being copper impressions, two of which are offered below. Far rarer are the silver strikings that Franklin presented to French ministers. We believe that only 25 to 30 original Libertas Americana medals in silver are extant. (The two gold strikings mentioned above that Franklin presented to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France are not traced.)If you are a specialist in medals you already know about the Libertas Americana medal and, if fortunate, even own one. If you are not, I suggest that you contemplate these words and the medal itself. In fact, we suggest that if you want just one classic American medal, this is it! For possession of a Libertas Americana medal in silver is a mark of great accomplishment in the field of numismatics.，PCGS# 151000.，
