1803 Wisdom Virtue & Patriotism Medal. Bronze. 38.3 mm, rims 2.9 to 3.2 mm thick. Baker-84, Musante GW-87. Plain Edge. MS-62 BN (PCGS).；An impressive example of this prized rarity among Washington medals. The surfaces are deep chocolate brown throughout with inviting accents of steel blue iridescence when the medal is turned in the light. The fields are prooflike as typical of the few high-grade specimens, a surface characteristic that speaks to the makers fine finishing of the dies as well as the likely very small number of pieces struck as this has always been a very rare medal. The devices are sharp and satiny forming a gentle aesthetic contrast to the fields. A few scattered marks are seen, commensurate with the grade, but none is distracting. The Fame medal is considered by many to be the finest of the Washington memorial medals and it has long been prized by serious collectors of Washingtoniana, a field of numismatics that enjoyed strong enthusiasm at the same time that American numismatic pursuits became more widespread and popular in the years leading up to the Civil War. In fact, an example of this medal appeared in W. Elliot Woodwards sale of the John F. McCoy Collection in May 1864, and sold for $85 to J.N.T. Levick, a substantial sum at a time when the price record for any United States coin was less than $500. While this medal falls under the aegis of American historical medals in terms of its audience, as with other early Washington pieces, this was produced in England, most likely by John Gregory Hancock, his mark "H" on Washingtons truncation. While Hancock typically marked his dies "HANCOCK," and it has been posited that this piece was actually by John Henning, its style is all but conclusively that of Hancock. It has been three years since we offered the Charles Wharton Collection specimen of this medal, and it is the most recent offering we are aware of. That piece, of similar quality to this one, sold for just shy of $6,500. A classic medal of superior style and considerable rarity.；Ex John J. Ford, Jr., acquired 1951; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford,. Jr. Collection, Part II, May 2004, lot 133. Collector envelope with attribution notation included.
