1848 National Monument medal. Musante GW-178, Baker-320. White Metal. MS-63 (PCGS).39.6 mm. Pierced for suspension. A superb example of this rare medal with brilliant surfaces and only a couple of minuscule dark flecks visible under magnification. The fields are deeply reflective, somewhat over-accentuating the few minor marks and hairlines. The devices are sharp and frosty with a slight abrasion on the bust. This is the nicest example we recall having seen of this rarely offered medal. Just one appears in our auction archives covering the last 15 years, or so. Baker number in red on the edge.<p>As discussed by Musante, this medal commemorates the laying of the cornerstone of what would become the Washington Monument on the National Mall on July 4, 1848. The design depicted on the medal was the original conceived by the architect, but it was rather dramatically changed to the simple obelisk standing there now, completed in 1885.Ex William Spohn Baker Collection, to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by bequest, November 15, 1897.
