This lovely Rhode Island ship medal is as impressive for its striking quality as it is for its level of preservation. The impression is expertly centered on both sides and there is razor sharp to full detail over virtually all design elements. The surfaces are smooth and inviting, dominant copper brown patina yielding to original antique gold color in the more protected areas around many of the devices. There is a small area of darker color near the lower right reverse border. There are no distracting marks or other blemishes to report.One of the most popular and mysterious of the pre-Revolutionary War token issues, the Rhode Island Ship medal is believed to have been struck around 1780, though by whom and for what reason remains unclear. The obverse of the medal depicts the Continental Armys withdrawal from Aquidneck Island in August 1778 surrounded by the British fleet commanded by Admiral Lord Richard Howe. The reverse has been the subject of debate as to what it portrays. For generations, it has been assumed that it is a satirical representation of Lord Howes flagship fleeing Narragansett Bay in 1779, an interpretation in part based on the earliest versions of this medal bearing the word VLUGTENDE ("fleeing") underneath Howes ship. The most recent scholarship asserts that instead of a pro-American medal, it is actually a British medal intended for the Dutch market or even an entirely Dutch product created to help garner support to the British cause in the American Revolution. With this current interpretation of the medal, it would appear that if it was intended to influence Dutch feelings towards a more pro-British position regarding the American Revolution, it failed in its purpose. Often at loggerheads with each other, British and Dutch relations were very tense, culminating in December 1780 when the Dutch joined other European nations in the League of Armed Neutrality. The League was established as a counter to British Royal Navys policy of intercepting neutral shipping in search of French supplies. <br /><br />There are several design varieties of the medal. Soon after production started, it was quickly noticed that the placement of the word VLUGTENDE would lead to a misinterpretation of the scene. Because some pieces had already been struck, the word VLUGTENDE was laboriously removed by hand individually leaving obvious traces of the effacement. The die was then modified to replace the word with a wreath, though even then some traces of VLUGTENDE can be discerned. The medals were all but unknown in the United States until the appearance of a specimen in a W. Elliot Woodward sale in 1864, where it brought the then-staggering price of $40. Ever since, the Rhode Island Ship medals have long been desired by enthusiasts of Revolutionary War history. Examples with VLUGTENDE are of the highest rarity often with decades between sales appearances. The transitional type as well as the later modified die with the wreath are of roughly similar rarity. Most are found in generally mid to higher grade levels, but Uncirculated specimens are notable rarities. An extraordinary survivor of this fascinating and mysterious medal.,,PCGS# 588. NGC ID: 26LC.,PCGS Population: 4; 2 finer (MS-65 finest).,