Circa 1800 Presidency Resigned medal by Thomas Wyon. Musante GW-65 Baker-66 var. White Metal. SP-63 (PCGS). 37.5 mm. 347.1 grains. Softly lustrous light pewter gray with the high points and most vulnerable fields areas mellowed to deeper gray. Brighter outlines around the devices and through the legends are the result, nicely showcasing the design. A few light marks, though none is worthy of specific mention. Close study will reveal a flawed planchet, with what appears to be a retained lamination through the reverse, and a few scattered nodes of pesting that are barely noticed unless one looks closely. An XRF test reveals this to be nearly pure tin with traces of lead.<p> <p>A curiously rare entry among the early Washington medals. Baker assigned a single number to the type, Baker-66. Neil Musante found three different die pairings, assigning numbers GW-63, 64, and 65. The present writer noticed a fourth. With so many die pairings one would expect an emission large enough to allow for the type to be somewhat plentiful, but that is far from the case. All are rare, and individually, extremely so. This variety seems to be the most common, with just 10 examples known to the writer, including one in the collection of Mount Vernon. A few are in fairly rugged condition, but this is probably one of the two finest. <em>From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.</em><strong><em></em></strong>
