1871 David Rittenhouse Medal. By William Barber. Julian MT-1. Bronze. MS-63 BN (NGC). 46 mm. A rare bidding opportunity for specialists, we are pleased to be offering both silver and bronze impressions of this scarce medal type in this sale. The present lot offers the bronze impression, a fully struck example with satiny surfaces and faintly semi-reflective fields. Rich reddish-copper patina overall, a carbon deposit along the top of Rittenhouses bust and a faint spot in the right obverse field appear to be the only impediments to an even higher Choice Mint State rating. This is our first offering for a bronze example of this type since 2012. From the Collection of Leonard Augsburger, co-author of The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint.
