Circa 1849 Birth Centennial medal by C.C. Wright. Second reverse. Wright and Bale mark partly effaced from die. Musante GW-128, Baker-75. Silver. MS-62 (PCGS).45.0 mm. 850.8 grains. Deeply toned on the obverse, mostly verging on slate gray, though close inspection reveals nuances of golden brown, blue-green and rose. Slightly mottled though the jawline and forward neck. The reverse is beautifully toned. Light pearl gray dominates this side while rich sky blue iridescence lingers in the fields. Pleasantly reflective on both sides and really quite attractive overall. Though it occasionally appears in white metal or bronze, this is very much a rarity in silver. We do not recall having handled another. Though several fabulous collections and many rare properties gravitated toward John Ford over the decades, he did not have this in silver, though he did have other rarities in multiples. The Garrett specimen was a cleaned bronzed Proof. Steinberg had bronze and white metal pieces, as did Norweb and LaRiviere. This is a special piece for an advanced collection.Ex William Spohn Baker Collection, to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by bequest, November 15, 1897.
