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THB1779 John Paul Jones Medal in Bronzed Copper, Betts-568, Gem Semi-Prooflike MS
Lot 331
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About Auction
Live
By Early American History Auctions
Aug 21, 2021
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2021-08-21 12:00:00
2021-08-21 12:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Autographs - Historic & Political Americana - Militaria & Guns
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/early-american-history-auctions/autographs---historic-political-americana---militaria-guns-7321
335 Lots of Rare, Historic Autographs, Americana, Civil War Era, George Washington, Revolutionary War Era, Colonial America, Federal Period, War of 1812, Colonial Currency & more... Early American History Auctions auctions@earlyamerican.com
335 Lots of Rare, Historic Autographs, Americana, Civil War Era, George Washington, Revolutionary War Era, Colonial America, Federal Period, War of 1812, Colonial Currency & more... Early American History Auctions auctions@earlyamerican.com
View Full Catalog (335)
- Lot Description
Medals
Lustrous 1779 John Paul Jones Medal in Bronzed Copper
1779 (1845-1860) John Paul Jones Medal. Betts-568. Julian NA-1. Struck from Original Dies by Augustin Dupr in Bronzed Copper, Paris Mint. Gem Mint State Semi-Prooflike.
56 mm. Adams-Bentley 8. An impressive historic John Paul Jones medal having superior eye appeal with reflective chocolate brown and underlying lighter reddish-tan semi prooflike hard surfaces. The subdued mint reddish shades mostly spread on the surfaces and around the devices and at peripheries, which mixes beautifully across the lightly reflective surfaces. There are no marks seen, a rim tick here and there, none serious, and some harmless surface verdigris is seen in the field beyond Jones' nose. The reverse displays the famous naval battle between the Bonhomme Richard vs. HMS Serapis. Even greater amounts of underlying original mint red luster is present on its highly reflective surfaces. This excellent early restrike bronzed-copper medal was produced with smooth somewhat squared rims very early in the Comitia Americana production sequence, making it particularly scarce and important. Jones was the captain of the Bonhomme Richard, named "Poor Richard" in honor of the popular Revolutionary War American envoy to France, Benjamin Franklin.
Obverse: A simple design based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's majestic bust of Jones, in military attire and epaulets, his hair neatly tied in a queue. Jones faces right, framed by the legend JOANNI PAVLO JONES CLASSIS PRAEFECTO or "John Paul Jones, commander of the fleet. COMITIA AMERICANA appears below, and Dupre signed the bust truncation boldly Dupre F.
Reverse: This description is from the January 1904 issue of the American Journal of Numismatics: "The combat with the Serapis. The ships are fighting side by side, the British frigate in the foreground under sail to the right; her broadside, though that farthest from her enemy, is shown as badly injured. The Bon Homme Richard, with her bow in the opposite direction, is largely concealed by her adversary, and of her masts only the foremast appears, the topsails backed. The smoke of battle rising between the vessels, floats to the left; two sailors are in the sea clinging to a spar, and another British ship is in the distance. Legend, above, HOSTIVUM NAVIBVS CAPTIS AVT FVGATIS. In the exergue in three lines, the last separated by a rule from those above, AD ORAM SCOTIAE XXIII. SEPT. | M. D. CC LXXVIIII | DVPRE. F. (The ships of the enemy captured or put to flight, off the shore of Scotland, Sept. 23, 1779.)"
The original dies survived in the Paris Mint, producing several generations of restrikes, until they were delivered to the Philadelphia Mint in 1905. In 1947, they were used to produce a replacement gold medal, which is currently on display in John Paul Jones' crypt beneath the United States Naval Academy chapel in Annapolis. An example of an original strike Betts-568, (1779) Captain John Paul Jones, Julian NA-1, Bronzed Copper, graded SP65 PCGS was sold by Heritage on February 19, 2017 for $11,162.50. That example was darker chocolate-brown with a couple of insignificant ticks and no underlying reddish luster mentioned. A similar example, offered in November 2019 in the Stack's John W. Adams Collection of Comitia Americana and Related Medals, graded Choice About Uncirculated, sold for $3,840. This current example is both an early die state and fully original, having no sign or evidence of mounting which is often located at 12:00, for wearing and display. An attractive addition to any Revolutionary War or Naval Medal collection.
Arguably the most popular of the early American naval medals, Adams-Bentley 8 was produced to commemorate the tactical victory of a Franco-American naval squadron under the command of Continental Navy Captain John Paul Jones over two British warships protecting a merchant convoy on September 23, 1779.
Known to history as the Battle of Flamborough Head, the battle took place in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire and is widely regarded as one of the most significant naval engagements of the Revolutionary War by the Americans. During the engagement, Jones' ship Bonhomme Richard forced the surrender of the British HMS Serapis under the command of Captain Sir Richard Pearson in close combat.
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