Circa 1878 Philadelphia Civic Procession — Washington Bookplate Muling. Musante GW-134, Baker-A286. White Metal. MS-62 (PCGS). 32.8 mm. 195.2 grains. Brilliant surfaces with sharply prooflike fields and crisp, frosty devices that stand out nicely against the reflective background. Abrasions at the right obverse fields and just above CIVIC on the reverse help to identify this as the plate piece in both the Rulau-Fuld revision of <em>Medallic Portraits</em> and in Neil Musantes <em>Medallic Washington</em>. As reported in Musante, Harzfield commented in his own December 7, 1878 sale at lot 526 that this muling was an accidental occurrence. That being the case, and his commentary seeming also apologetic, it is likely that an extremely small number were made, probably in the single digits, though one did appear in the William Spohn Baker Collection sold by us in November 2019, at lot 20113. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex the David Hirsch Collection; Presidential Coin and Antiques sale of June 2011, lot 245.
