1777 Horatio Gates at Saratoga medal. Betts-557. Silver. Original striking. Paris Mint. About Uncirculated. 55.7 mm, 1495.2 grains. 4.5 - 4.9 mm thick. Faint remnant of a collaring mark at 11:00 relative to the obverse, as seen on the Adams specimen in our November 2019 sale. A remarkable new discovery and a rather important entry into the relatively small body of surviving original Comitia Americana medals in silver. When we sold the Adams specimen, we were aware of just three surviving originals in silver, two of which are in institutional collections. This is quite similar to the Adams medal in terms of overall preservation, with good general sharpness overall, and traces of prooflike reflectivity still visible in the fields. A plethora of tiny nicks and marks is seen on both sides, as are a few very light hairlines, but none is particularly outstanding on an individual basis aside from a short scratch over Gates head on the reverse. The surfaces are mostly brilliant silver but soft golden brown toning is seen through the recesses and, to a lesser degree, into the fields. Minor handling is evident around the edge and along the rims, consistent with that of the primary surfaces, but there are no serious marks. Medals such as this were presented to those closely related to the person or action commemorated, and certainly not into hands that were likely to appreciate the medallic arts like a numismatist does today. As such, the degree of handling seen here is both expected and proper for such a piece, as it speaks to the particular history of such medals. It is notable, again, that the condition of this one is virtually the same as the Adams medal.<p><p>The die state seems virtually identical to that seen on the Adams specimen. The small crack that spans from the rim, to the top left serif of the second N in SEPTENTRIONAL, to the base of the adjacent O, to the top of the flagpole looks to be identical, as do the small reverse crack inward from the rim near 8:30, the large rim failure left of the exergual line and the smaller similar flaw just above it. As we wrote in our November 2019 sale, this die state is very close to that seen on the<p>original gold example presented to Gates, now at the New York Historical Society.<p><p>Also as presented by us in 2019, it follows that "this medal was struck sometime between the spring of 1787, when the gold medal was struck, and July 4, 1789, when Jefferson recorded three transactions with Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux: a refund of 76 livre tournois from Gatteaux to the account of the United States from an earlier overpayment, a payment of 26 livres and change "for silver medal of Gates … for U.S.," and a note to charge the United States for the 31 livres tournois he had paid to Gatteaux personally on February 22, 1787, for a silver Nathanael Greene medal which he noted as received from Gatteaux "and which I now put into their [i.e. the United States] collection." These were the silver medals intended for Washingtons set. This piece shows an essentially identical die state as the Washington-Massachusetts Historical Society piece and was likely struck at the same time.<p>With Gates gold medal off the market, an original striking in silver is the most noble form of this medal that can be collected. There are four known: George Washingtons personal silver example in the cased set at the Massachusetts Historical Society, the example in Viennas Kunsthistoriches Museum, the John Adams Collection specimen and this one.<p><p>The Designs<p><p>Obverse: A portrait of Gates to left, apparently based upon the Gates portrait by Pierre Eugène du Simitière; the dress is either civilian or intended to be military but mistakenly lacking his epaulet. Legend HORATIO GATES DUCI STRENUO (Horatio Gates, valiant general or energetic leader). COMITIA AMERICANA (American Congress) in exergue.<p><p>Reverse: Gates upright at right, holding his hat and extending his right hand, Burgoyne on bent knee offering sword at left. Burgoynes troops, in left background, furl flags and lay down their arms. An artillery piece points away. At center background, a furled flag is laid over a drum. At right left background, American troops stand tall with shouldered arms surmounted by bayonets. A sword-wearing officer stands in front of the American line. A single flag is raised at right. At left end of the exergual line, a grouping of cannonballs. At right end, a victory laurel. Main legend SALUS REGIONUM SEPTENTRIONAL (Safety in the northern regions). In exergue, HOSTE AD SARATOGAM INDEDITION ACCEPTO DIE XVII OCT MDCCLXXVII (Advancing to the surrender of Saratoga, October 17, 1777).<p>
