1778-1779 (ca. 1780) Rhode Island Ship Medal. Betts-562, W-1730. Without Wreath Below Ship. Copper. VF-30 (PCGS). 112.63 grains. This handsome piece is richly toned in a blend of copper-brown, steel-gray and golden-olive over surfaces that also exhibit a hard satin texture. Most design elements are boldly rendered, the strike nicely centered and well executed. We do, however, note considerable loss of detail along the upper right borders on both sides. There are no sizeable marks, microscopic roughness in areas is hardly worth mentioning, and some good gloss is noted.<p>The Rhode Island Ship medals are believed to have been struck around 1780, though by whom and for what reason remains unclear. For generations, it has been assumed that the obverse is a satirical representation of Lord Howes flagship fleeing Narragansett Bay in 1779, an interpretation in part based on the earliest versions bearing the word VLUGTENDE ("fleeing") underneath Howes ship. The most recent scholarship asserts that it is actually a British medal intended for the Dutch market, or a Dutch product created to garner support to the British cause in the global war for empire that raged throughout the 1770s and 1780s. It would appear that if it was intended to influence Dutch feelings towards a more pro-British position, it failed. Often at loggerheads with each other, British and Dutch relations were very tense, culminating in December 1780 when the Dutch joined other European nations in the League of Armed Neutrality.<p>Rhode Island Ship medals with VLUGTENDE are of the highest rarity. The transitional type with VLUGTENDE removed, offered here, and the later modified die with the wreath, are of roughly similar rarity with most examples in the VF to AU grade range. Mint State specimens are notable rarities. PCGS# 579. From the Rancocas Creek Collection. Collector envelope with attribution notation included.
