1777 Dated Benjamin Franklin Uniface Medal. Electroformed Copper. 114.8 mm. After Jean-Baptiste Nini. Similar to Greenslet-5. About Uncirculated. Standard Nini portrait of Franklin, facing left in fur cap and without spectacles, his name to the left and right edges. The fields of the piece, unlike the usual ceramic and metallic versions, are entirely covered with thousands of meticulously applied tiny circular punches, giving the piece a cameo effect with smooth portrait features on a frosted background. The details of the artists signature have been altered, either by being removed or covered by the new surface of tiny circles. All that remains is Ninis shield, and the date 1777 incised where the original relief date was. An intriguing piece, obviously old, accompanied by a NGC PhotoCert stating that it is a genuine 19th Century Jean-Baptiste Nini Brass Benjamin Franklin Plaque. From the Richard Jewell Collection.
