Washington Before Boston. Electrotype shell of a circa 1788-1789 unadopted Paris Mint obverse. Musante GW-Unlisted, Baker-Unlisted. Copper. Choice Extremely Fine.74.8 mm, 288.2 grains. Light olive brown with soft rose undertones. Fairly well made with a broad, neatly trimmed rim that gives this piece very nice eye appeal. A bit of ancient tooling at the central obverse was almost certainly accomplished by the maker in the removal of some small defect. This is an electrotype shell likely made from one of the extremely rare obverse cliches from an unadopted obverse, as no medals are known to have been struck with this design. However, the details are a bit soft on this piece (when compared to the next), which might indicate that it was made from a cast rather than from any direct impression of the die. This early design is easy to distinguish from all those that came after by the use of the U characters in the legend that were replaced by the use of the more classic V form seen on the issued medals. Close study also reveals that it differs slightly in styling from that seen on the next piece, including distinctive differences in the hair around Washington’s ear. This piece is styled like the shell plated in Neil Musante’s Medallic Washington, on the bottom of page 42. It is the only other place we have seen this hair styling. We don’t know who made this or when, but assume it to be a mid to late 19th-century production. Plated in John W. Adams’ and Anne E. Bentley’s 2007 book, <em>Comitia Americana</em>, on page 51.From the Collection of Marc McDonald. Earlier ex Charles Litman, Presidential Coin and Antique, December 2003, lot 366.
