1876 Treasury Department Lifesaving Medal, First Class. Bronzed Copper. 76.8 mm. Julian LS-5b. Mint State.Deep mahogany brown with reflective fields and featuring magnificent high relief engravings by Anthony C. Paquet. A few minor contact marks are noted in the obverse field, but there are no rim nicks or other more significant flaws. Die rust, or spalling, is evident scattered around the fields of both sides, yet the visual appeal is superb, and anyone who holds this item will be delighted. The designs are still used for the Coast Guards Gold Lifesaving medal, though in a much smaller and significantly modified form, a prize last distributed in 1997. These images are perhaps Paquets most stunning work, with crashing surf sculpted in lifelike form surrounding two men and a woman in a lifeboat while another is being pulled in from the sea. Their wrecked vessel, sails in the waves, may be seen behind them. On the reverse, a large area for the engraving of the name of the lifesaver and the nature of the feat remains blank, ready for inscription.Authorized in 1874, a competition for First and Second Class Lifesaving medals was held, and designs by Hermann Faber were chosen for both. Almost immediately Anthony C. Pacquet was contracted to cut the dies and was able to produce soft metal impressions for acceptance by the spring of 1875. Medals were produced in this size for only two years before they were replaced by smaller 50 mm versions in the same design. In 1883 the medals were further reduced to 44 mm. The large originals are quite rare in any metallic composition and seldom appear in the numismatic marketplace. We are aware of bronze specimens only in the Ford and Dreyfuss collections, and we sold a gold example for $36,800 in 2006. It is thought that the soft white metal pieces were the patterns submitted to the Treasury Department for acceptance, the gold ones were undoubtedly made to be presented to the life-saving seamen, and the bronze pieces most likely produced for collectors with inside connections -- although John Ford felt that they were never available to collectors. It is amazing to consider that these dies, for which Paquet was paid a nearly unheard of $1,500 sum in 1875, are known by only five surviving specimens in all metals. This example is housed in a period fitted leather and velvet presentation case. Significantly nicer than the example that we (Stacks) sold our October 2005 Ford V Sale, which was described as Essentially as made.
