1790 (ca. 1858) Manly Medal. Second Obverse. Musante GW-11, Baker-62B. Copper. Specimen-62 BN (PCGS). 49 mm. An outstanding example of this classic Washington medallic issue, rated as "S" (for scarce) in copper by Musante (2016). Scarce in an absolute sense, for sure, but with the quality and eye appeal offered here this variety of the manly Medal is rare. Satiny surfaces and hard, tight and bathed in richly original toning. The obverse exhibits wisps of olive-gray to dominant copper-rose patina, the reverse dressed in a subtle marbling of olive-gray and autumn-brown. Sharply rendered design elements are framed by broad, thick rims, the border a bit more expansive from 9 to 11 oclock on the obverse than elsewhere. A few wispy handling marks are evident on Washingtons forehead, cheek, and on the reverse around the letters RAL in GENERAL, although overall the surfaces are remarkably smooth and blemish free for both the type and the assigned grade. A short, shallow reverse planchet void at the letters S in PRESIDENT and T in THE is as made. Truly a lovely piece, and destined for inclusion in a high quality Washingtoniana cabinet.<p>These reissued pieces were struck in the 1850s using the original Manly reverse, paired with a different obverse. As presented by Neil Musante, Manly died in 1795 and it was recorded that he had one son residing in London, his only living heir. In early auction catalogs this version of the Manly medal was occasionally referred to as from "English dies" or from "Lincolns dies," the latter in E.L. Masons sale of November 1878. London coin dealer W.S. Lincoln was the distributor. It seems likely that the dies were part of Manlys estate and were transferred to his son along with any other remaining personal property. What remains unknown is whether the new obverse die was accomplished in England, or if it was an unused version that traveled across the Atlantic alongside the original reverse. We suspect the former for two reasons: first, had Brooks engraved both obverses, he would have done so within a time span of about five years (from the first offering of the medal, to Manlys death). In such a short time span, it seems unlikely that he would have used a different set of letter punches and, further, that he would have signed his name differently on the truncation of the bust. Secondly, we note that Washingtons date of birth is given in European style, with the day first, then month and year on the second obverse, while it is in the American style on the original. This might be little more than artistic license, but it may also be a clue pointing to English or otherwise European origin.<p>Copper impressions of this reissue type are usually seen with varying degrees of die cracks. The present example is unusual (and also rare) in that, while there is light spalling in the field above and below the letters AM in AMERICAN, the reverse is free of die cracks. Additionally, the often-seen bisecting crack through the letter S in NATUS is not evident on the obverse.
