Washington Before Boston Medal
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[1790] Baker 48H Stahl No. 22 Paris restrike, post 1880 Washington Before Boston
Obverse: GEORGIO WASHINGTON SVPREMO DVCI EXERCITVVM ADSERTORI LIBERTATIS COMITA AMERICANA [at neck truncation] DU VIVIER / PARIS . F.
Reverse: HOSTIBUS PRIMO FUGATIS [in exergue] BOSTONIUM RECUPERATUM / XVII MARTII / MDCCLXXVI [at bottom right of canon in the foreground] DU VIV
Edge: [a cornucopia] BRONZE. Click here for image. From the obverse this is on the edge at about 6:15-6:30 with the symbol to the left, at 6:15 and the bottom of the letters to the obverse.
Bronze Weight: [about 2,075 grains] (134.4 grams) Diameter: 68.3 mm reverse die alignment: 360°
Comments: One of the most encouraging early victories during the Revolutionary War was the British evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776. During the harsh winter months Henry Knox had transported a number of canon from Fort Ticonderoga in western New York to Boston. As soon as this heavy artillery arrived Washington mounted the canons on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city. Under the threat of bombardment the British troops quickly fled, making Boston the first major city liberated from British occupation. Eight days later, on March 25, 1776, the Continental Congress authorized a medal to commemorate this event. Up through 1787 Congress authorized ten additional medals commemorating war heroes, however no medals were actually produced until 1790. In that year the federal Congress commissioned the Paris mint to produce these long overdue items. The Washington Before Boston medal was considered the most important and was the largest in the series, which is now referred to as the Comitia Americana (or American Congress) medal series. A gold example was presented to Washington along with a collection of eleven silver medals (nine of which were from the eleven medals authorized by congress); the gold exampe is now in the Boston Public Library while Washington's collection of eleven silver medals now resides in the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Since the first striking in 1790 the Paris mint has reissued these American Congress medals at various times in gold, silver, copper and bronze examples. The dating of examples can often be determined by the small symbol stamped on the edge of the medal: an antique lamp, 1832-1841; an anchor with the letter C, 1841-1842; a galley prow, 1842-1845; a pointing hand 1845-1860; a bee, 1860-1879 and a cornucopia 1880-present. In the 1860's hubs (i.e., punches for the images and legends) were made from the Paris dies and sent to Philadelphia were they were used to produce new dies for American struck examples. As the hubs did not produce deeply impressed details in the Philadelphia made dies, the medals made from these dies lacked the clarity and fine lines of the Paris strikings. Some decades later entirely new dies were produced in Philadelphia, modelled on the originals but with different letter punches.
The obverse displays an undraped bust right of Washington based on the bust by Jean Antone Houdon with a Latin legend that translates as: To George Washington supreme general of the army defender of liberty (EXERCITVVM refers to a trained and disciplined army). Below is COMITIA AMERICANA, which is a Latin version of "The American Congress." At the truncation is the signature of the engraver Benjamin Du Vivier, DV VIVIER / PARIS . F. (for France). The reverse displays Washington on this horse with four of his commanders on Dorchester Heights; it has often been noted the horse hoofs do not align with the grouping of horses. Washington points below where we see his troops and in the distance the city of Boston. To the far left two canons behind a parapet can be seen pointed at the city while in the foreground two canon and some canon balls lay on the ground. The Latin legend translates as: For the first time the enemies are put to flight. The Latin exergue translates as: Boston recovered the 17th of March 1776. To the far right on the canon in the foreground is the engraver's signature DV VIV.
On the example shown above the grain weight is approximate. The medal was too heavy for our grain scale so the gran weight was calculated from the actual gram weight.This combination is listed by Stahl as die combination 5 consisting of obverse 2 and reverse C, made at the Paris mint post 1880. Reverse C is identified from later issues in that there are only three hoofs in the background under the center of Washington's horse. There are six varieties in this combination 5 restrike series. This particular variety, Stahl 22, is distinguished in that the edge stamp (consisting of a cornucopia and the word BRONZE) is at 6:00 o'clock. The example listed by Stahl is listed at 168.18 grams. There is a similar variety (Stahl 24) that differs primarily in that Stahl 24 has a die breaks above HO in ther reverse legend. Also, Stahl 16-22 have a break at the top of the R in PRIMO (an open bow) while in reverse C numbers 23-25 the bow is closed.
Because of the several restrikes and reworking of the original dies it is often difficult to identify the various strikings of the Washington medal. The following information is added to assist individuals in identifying basic varieties. It is based on Alan Stahl's recent essay, where further details and illustrations are available. In all Stahl identified four obverses (1-4) and six reverses (A-F) joined in eight combinations. These combination are found in 31 different varieties, based on strikings in different metals and reworking or deterioration of the dies.
The original Washington Before Boston medals, called die combination 1, consists of obverse 1, identified in that it has several die cracks (as under the E in GEORGIO) joined with reverse A, identified in that it has die rust in the HO of HOSTIBUS and displays four horse hoofs in the background under the mid section of Washington's horse. Die combination 2 consist of post 1790 strikings in which obverse 1 was joined with reverse B. This reverse is easily distinguished in that the Roman numeral date, in exergue, lacks the D, thus incorrectly giving the date as MCCLXXVI (1276). Die combination 3 is quite similar in that it combines obverse 1 with reverse B, after the date was correctly recut on the reverse die. Stahl states the cutting of the D over the M was not apparent on the specimens he saw, while Fuld in the TAMS Journal, vol. 3, 1963, p. 116, reported the lower M was visible. Ti identify this variety one must check another distinction between reverses A and B, namely in reverse B the last letter in the second line of the text in exergue aligns with the E in the line above it, while in reverse A the last letter of the second line is aligned with the following letter, an R. A fourth combination, dating to the sometime before 1860, joined obverse 1 with reverse C. This reverse is easily distinguished in that there are only three hoofs under the center of Washington's horse, rather than four as in the earlier reverses; also there are no stops in the exergue (earlier varieties have a stop after the roman numeral designation of the day and at the end after the year). For the post 1880 period Stahl listed a fifth combination consisting of a second obverse die, lacking the die breaks found in obverse 1, which was joined with reverse C. Stahl's die combination six is the current Paris striking, which uses obverse 2 with a new reverse (reverse 4). This reverse is like the earlier dies (A and B) in that it has four hoofs under Washington's horse and has the second exergue line ending under the R in the line above, but like reverse C it lacks stops in the exergue. Stahl's combination seven represents the 1863-1864 Philadelphia strikings, which used obverse 3 and reverse E. The die for obverse 3 was created from hubs made using obverse 1, so obverse 3 is the same as obverse 1 but less distinct. Also, it does not display the same die breaks; this variety has a die crack at the end on the ponytail and several flaws at specific letters (Stahl mentions above the G at 7:00, at the D at 11:30, the T at 1:00 and the A at 2:00, among others). Reverse E has the three hoofs (as reverse C) and shows a die crack through the REC in the first line of the exergue. This variety also displays flaws above most of the letters in the legend (all bracketed letters show flaws: [HOSTI]B[US P]RIM[O FUGATIS]). The post 1884 Philadelphia medals is Stahl's combination 8, which use obverse 4 and reverse F. These are new dies based on the earlier dies but with different letter punches. The obverse lettering is smaller and is aligned somewhat differently in relation to the bust when compared to the earlier dies, while on the reverse the letters are taller and narrowed that earlier dies, additionally the reverse can be easily distinguished from later varieties in that it displays the four hoofs and includes stops in the exergue. In the exergue last letters on the top line and the middle line align up as on reverse A with the I under the R, while the alignment of last letter the center line with the bottom is as one reverse B with the final roman numeral I between the ti II in MARTII (while on reverse A it is under the first I in MARTII).
Provenance: Acquired through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the Colonial Coin dealer James D. King of Osterville, MA on Nov. 21, 1998.
References: Rulau and Fuld, pp. 46-52; Alan. M. Stahl, "Medals of the Comitia Americana Series in the Collections of the American Numismatic Society and Other Public Institutions," in Coinage of the American Confederation Period, ed. by Philip L. Mossman, Coinage of the Americas Conference, Proceedings no. 11, held at the American Numismatic Society, New York, October 28, 1995, New York: American Numismatic Society, 1996, pp. 261-346 with the Washington Before Boston medal varieties discussed an illustrated on pp. 264-289; George Fuld, "The Washington before Boston Medal," TAMS Journal, vol. 3, (1966) 111-127, TAMS is the Token and Medal Society.
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