1781 (before January 23, 1783) Libertas Americana Medal. Reverse Cliché. Original. Workshop of Augustin Dupre. As Betts-615. White Metal. Specimen-61 (PCGS). 47.0 mm x 46.8 mm, 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm thick. 214.0 grains. Plain trimmed edge. Traces of paper fiber present on plain back. A superbly preserved soft metal impression, with only minor surface wear and most of the original paper still present on the blank back. Bright lustrous evidence of the tin beneath is visible at the peripheries of the back. The struck side is glossy and appealing, even dark gray with no major defects. Details are spectacularly sharp, and some aspects of the design like the cuirass on Minervas chest and the finer contours of her face have been refined from earlier state cliches into a more finished form. This fascinating progress proof was made at a very particular moment of this dies journey to completion. Like all cliches, it was intended as a temporary form, a snapshot of the die’s current state, intended for the eyes of the engraver and his patron. The exergual legend is not present, though various raised scribe lines are visible in the exergue. The peripheral legend is the most interesting part of this pieces design, however: NON SINE DIIS ANIMOSUS INTANS -- INTANS, rather than the correct spelling, INFANS. Fortunately, the person to whom Benjamin Franklin sent this cliche noticed: Alexandre-Theodore Brongniart, an architect and man of letters who was a vital link in the chain that connected Franklin with both the designer of the reverse, E.A. Gibelin, and medalist Augustin Dupre who brought the Libertas Americana medal to fruition. On January 23, 1783, Brongniart wrote to Franklin: "I have the honor of sending to Mr Franklin two new proofs of the medal, noting that the head is not quite as perfect as it should be, that the serpents held by the child will be larger and better drawn; moreover the engraver put intans instead of infans and this spelling mistake shall be corrected. "I have the honor of reminding Mr Franklin that he had promised what he shall have inscribed on both sides at the bottom of the medal, and this matter alone prevents its completion." Brongniart is acting as a go-between from Dupre, who produced this object, to Franklin, who commissioned it, all while serving as a vital critical eye. In a February 1785 to Franklin, Gibelin attests to Brogniarts role in his involvement: "the medal of the United States of America that you had struck last year (sic) was modeled after the design that I composed at the request of Monsieur Brongniart." Not only was Brongniarts helpful edit of the legend corrected, but Dupre fixed his design flaws as well: on the final version, the lower of the two snakes has an additional coil at the end of its tail and the upper snake shows a forked tongue. Other improvements seen on the finished medal include the addition of DUPRE F. near the exergual line and the addition of a Gorgons head to Minervas cuirass. Brongniart not only pointed out corrections - he followed up to make sure they were received and executed. On January 31, 1783, he wrote to Franklin again: "M. Brongniart has the honor of sending his respects to Mr. Franklin and begs him to let him know if he was given Friday of last week [i.e. the day after his previous letter was sent, January 24] two new proofs of the medal, and among others that of the head of Liberty. Mr Franklin has seemingly forgotten to send to Mr Brongniart what he wishes to have put at the bottom of the medal on each side, and this holds back the engraver who wishes to complete this work.” This confirms that Dupre also made cliches that, like this one, had no exergual legend, but with the correct form of the peripheral legend. No such cliches are known today. We know of just four Libertas Americana medal cliches, all of the reverse: this lot, Adams: 2093, Ford:288, and the framed and inscribed piece last sold in our 2012 ANA sale. We presume at least a few exist, if poorly documented, in institutional collections. While every splasher has a great history, no trial piece for the Libertas Americana medal has so much direct documentary support as this one. When it was cataloged in our Ford sale, its major consequence was missed. Joined with the paper trail that fully explains it, this is an object of substantial historical importance and one of the only numismatic items that can be documentably placed in Franklin’s own hands. From the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation. Earlier from Augustin Dupre to Alexandre-Theodore Brongniart to Benjamin Franklin on January 23, 1783; Wayte Raymond; John J. Ford, Jr.; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIV, May 2006, lot 286; our August 2012 ANA Auction, lot 4094; John W. Adams Collection; our sale of the John W. Adams Collection, November 2019, lot 2094.
