Undated (1766) William Pitt - Repeal of the Stamp Act Medal. Betts-516, Eimer-34, BHM-100. Silver. MS-62 (NGC). 40.1 mm. 399.2 grains. Satin to modestly semi-reflective surfaces exhibit mottled blushes of powder blue and reddish-rose iridescence to otherwise dominant pale silver tinting. This variety is essentially identical to Betts-515 with the exception of the artists name on the truncation of the bust. Thomas Pingo designed the piece, which has brought on speculation that, since he was only active at the Royal Mint from 1771 to 1776, this piece must be dated to that era. In fact, Pingo made literally dozens of medals for private contracts before his Royal Mint affiliation, many of them for the Society for Promoting Arts and Commerce and the Royal Society for the Arts. According to Forrer, he was a member of the Free Society of Artists, an artists guild, as of 1763. Regardless of when it was made, this medal belongs in American collections as much as the popular <em>Guide Book</em> enshrined 1766 Pitt token, and they were probably issued at the same time and for essentially the same audience. This Pitt medal is quite a bit scarcer in silver than in copper, and a specimen this attractive deserves a very strong bid. Ex A.H. Baldwin & Sons, Ltd., June 23, 1969; John J. Ford, Jr.; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIV, lot 379. Lot tag included.
