1779 (1880-1901) Captain John Paul Jones Naval Medal. Paris Mint Restrike. Silver. 56 mm. 77.3 grams. By Augustin Dupre. Adams and Bentley-8, Betts-568, Julian NA-1. Specimen-58 (PCGS).Lovely light smoky gray silver with fine flecks of deeper gray patina create a rather even appearance overall. Crisply executed with excellent detail and lovely aesthetic appeal. Just a trace of minor handling with only a single minuscule mark in the right obverse field worthy of mention, and even this is largely lost in the patina. The Paris Mint restrikes differ from the U.S. Mint versions in that they are signed on both sides by the sculptor and often have edge inscriptions which allow collectors to more closely date their specimens. The edge of this specimen is inscribed with a cornucopia and ARGENT (silver), indicating that this medal was produced between the years of 1880 and 1901. All silver impressions of this medal are highly collectable. This one was produced after the original dies had been sandblasted to remove defects.
