1783 Peace of Versailles Libertas Americana Medal Betts-608. Tin with Copper Scavenger. PCGS MS61
A second example from a pair that were held together of this important medal, contemporary to the end of the American Revolution and to the more famous medal that uses the same obverse legend. Boldly lustrous and untoned, with a scattering of small marks on both sides and a hint of oxidation haze in the fields. A lovely example of a type that should be in any focused collection of medals of the Revolutionary War.
The scavenger, a plug of copper inserted at the exergual line before striking, has done its job, attracting corrosion and toning to dark brown. The scavenger’s presence has allowed the tin to remain boldly brilliant, which is exactly why it’s there. [This is a great example of European technological innovation in the beginning of the industrial revolution which apparently wasn’t taken up widely, but they tried]
Probably struck in Germany for a principally Dutch and French audience, this medal borrows the “Libertas Americana” legend from the popular medal conceived by Ben Franklin, placing it with two allegorical scenes. One depicts King Louis XVI gesturing to a pole topped with a Dutch style “free hat” that displays a 13-striped shield, representing the new United States. The reverse shows a goddess of Victory holding the shields of four European powers — England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands — while a Gorgon-faced shield of war is cast aside.
Provenance: #2 of a pair of the same medal from the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation.
