1800 Washington Funeral medal. Funeral Urn. Musante GW-70 (Dies 2-C1), Baker-166A. Silver. AU-58 (PCGS).29.9 mm. 115.4 grains. Neatly pierced at 12:00, as issued. Mottled bluish green, rose and violet iridescence over the entirety of the obverse. The reverse is a bit lighter overall, exhibiting more light blue and green, with traces of pale rose. Only lightly worn and a little hairlined, but very sharp and gently handled for one of these prized medals. The reverse in particular remains somewhat reflective in the fields and there are no serious marks worthy of mention. The suspension piercing does not seem to show any degree of wear and the rims are in nice relief with well developed dentils. A trace of softness is noted in the upper portion of the urn.<p>These medals were produced by esteemed engraver Jacob Perkins of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and are believed to have been distributed at or for the civic funeral procession held in Boston. As every town seems to have set aside its own day for memorial tributes, typically including well-planned processions, it is quite possible that Perkins could have capitalized on the opportunity in several nearby towns, if his work was complete in time. Processions are noted by us to have happened in Marblehead on January 2nd, Hallowell on January 8th, Medford on January 13th, and Haverhill on February 22nd. Certainly, there were many more. The number of dies prepared and the different compositions suggests a fairly large output. There were at least six obverse dies and seven reverses bearing the funeral urn motif.<p>This is certainly one of the nicest examples we have handled in recent years. In fact, it would probably rank high among all we have seen, for these medals often saw long use, well after the funeral processions that they were struck for. The wear patterns typically seen on these medals make it quite clear that it was fashionable in the eastern cities in and around Boston, where these medals would have largely remained after the processions, to continue wearing or carrying these memorials to Washington for a long time. Many are well worn and frequently show damage.Ex William Spohn Baker Collection, to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by bequest, November 15, 1897
