1776 (ca. 1789) Washington Before Boston Medal. First Paris Mint Issue. First Issued "Original" Obverse / First Issued "Original" Reverse. Adams-Bentley 3, Musante GW-09-P1, Baker-47B, Julian MI-1. Bronze. Plain Edge. Specimen-63 (PCGS). 69.2 mm. A glorious example of this classic medallic type, one of the most eagerly sought by specialists in Washingtoniana. Hard satiny surfaces are toned in dominant medium brown, with reverse with mottled olive-copper overtones. A couple of light spots before Washingtons chin are noted, as are scattered minor handling marks on both sides, although none of these features are out of context for the assigned grade. The strike is exquisite, and the devices stand out from the modestly reflective fields in near-cameo relief. The usual swelling of the reverse field is easily seen. Die erosion on the obverse is seen at Washingtons lowest hair curl, below the letter M in SUPREMO (shaped like an eyebrow or a sideways comma), above the letter E in ADSERTORI and, less advanced, in the field at the bases of the letters ER in the same word.<p>The Washington Before Boston medal is a classic and immensely historic type. Though all are desirable, and there are numerous iterations which speak to a long tradition of desirability of the issue in general, original Paris Mint strikes in particular are by the far the most significant and enjoy the greatest demand. Original strikes are also rare; choice ones such as this are doubly so. Adams and Bentley found 52 original bronze strikings of this medal, incorporating those from this reverse (the "Original"), the error reverse, and the corrected version of the error reverse. Speculatively, there may be 50 specimens known from this particular die pair, a population weighted toward pieces whose non-numismatic distribution required them to submit to an unduly high level of handling, wear, and damage. Unlike later pieces struck for a primarily numismatic crowd after 1850, truly Gem originals are quite the exception. As an exceptionally well preserved survivor of the original Paris Mint striking, this lovely specimen would serve as a focal point in any advanced cabinet.
