“1778-1779” (ca. 1780) Rhode Island Ship Medal. Betts-562, W-1730. Without Wreath Below Ship. Brass. MS-63 (PCGS).163.2 grains. A beautiful example of this popular Revolutionary War issue. Superb glossy surfaces show a blend of lively golden color in lustrous intricacies and contrasting deep olive in the fields. The strike is bold and the detail is outstanding. The removal of “vlugtende” beneath the ship was neatly accomplished. A small area of surface roughness around LAG of FLAG and the space following it shows some evidence of manual improvement, but this is barely detectable even under magnification. Adopted into the U.S. colonial coin series in the 1860s by enterprising coin dealers, this is more properly an American reference medal, struck in an attempt to sway political opinions in the Netherlands away from the American cause and the Treaty of Armed Neutrality. The message was muddled at the time (the word vlugtende or "fleeing" appeared under Howes flagship, not the vignette of American forces at the Battle of Newport crossing Aquidneck Island), and the Dutch remained both staunchly pro-American and in favor of neutral trade on the high seas. Most examples show significant handling, suggestion distribution to a non-collector audience. Few have survived with such positive visual appeal.<p><p>From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.
