1858 Lancaster County Agricultural and Mechanical Society award medal. Musante GW-239, Baker-339B, Julian AM-27, Harkness-Pa110. Copper, Bronzed. SP-66 (PCGS).45.2 mm. Attractive mahogany bronze surfaces are quite uniform save for some light blue accents through the peripheral details. Satiny and very well preserved, with no visible breaks in the bronzed surface. These were issued in silver and bronze, and are seen both with award inscriptions and without. However, neither is seen with much frequency. This example appears to be a collector strike, as others in copper we have seen had a less perfect appearance and at least one had traces of an incomplete inscription that was seemingly abandoned. According to Robert Julian, these were struck at the Mint in 1859 and 1860, with mint records indicating 85 were produced in silver and 130 in bronze. Most of these would have been engraved and awarded, and virtually all should be expected to show signs of some degree of mishandling, as they went directly into non-numismatic hands. The first example that we know appeared for sale was a silver one in May 1862. In 1864, the John McCoy sale included a silver and bronze, both without inscription.Ex William Spohn Baker Collection, to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by bequest, November 15, 1897.
