1812 Captain Jacob Jones / USS Wasp vs. HMS Frolic Naval Medal. Original. Silver. 64.5 mm. 1,525.8 grains. By Moritz Furst. Julian NA-13. MS-63 (NGC).
A simply beautiful medal, further, the only specimen we have record of selling at auction in the last 35 years. Highly attractive hints of rich gold with pale blue and violet over highly reflective light gray surfaces. Full reflectivity remains in the fields. Well preserved in all regards with just the lightest occasional hairline, only very minor marks, and a mere whisper of friction.
As often seen with a medal of this dramatic size, some rim flaws are present, including twin bruises over MAJORI on the reverse, a bruise under the date, and some more minor nicks in the raised rim here and there.One of the rarest and most interesting entries in the War of 1812 naval series, this is the only one that actually depicts a boarding party crossing from a victorious ship to capture the vanquished. The boarding party is depicted with swords drawn at the central reverse in a dynamic, if tiny display. Ford lacked this medal in all compositions.
The only appearances of a silver specimen of this medal we can locate are all of this exact specimen. There is another known to reside in a private collection that will likely not be on the market for decades. Carlsons 1986 study found no appearance of this rarity. This medal combines the ultimate in elusiveness with great beauty and precise engraving in a highly desirable package. One of the stars of any advanced collection.From our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Dreyfuss Collection, April 1986, lot 5318; our (Stacks) sale of June 1999, lot 1745; our (Stacks) Americana Sale of January 2009.