“1779” (Post 1887) General Anthony Wayne at Stony Point medal. Copper. 53 mm. Adams and Bentley-5, Betts-565, Julian MI-3. MS-66 BN (NGC). Handsome light olive brown with highlights of soft blue, violet, gold and rose toning in the fields. A trace of natural surface oil is detected, but virtually no further evidence of handling is visible through the holder. Sharp and prooflike, and very attractive. The Anthony Wayne medal is one of the rarities of the series as the Paris Mint did not produce restrikes of this issue and the originals are great rarities, indeed. In fact, while we just sold an example in our November 2019 presentation of the extensive John W. Adams collection of Comitia Americana medals, it was noted therein that “no other modern collection of Comitia Americana medals has included any impression from these [the original] dies.” The Adams original brought $84,000. This U.S. Mint version was struck in very small quantity. Just 47 are believed to have been made to meet collector demand in the late 19th century, but even with that number struck the Adams Collection remarkably did not include one. It its place were two electrotype copies, both of which realized 4-figure sums. It has been five years since we last sold one of these, a Specimen-65BN (PCGS) example, that realized just shy of $5300 in our November 2015 sale.
