Today I picked up this George F. Robinson medal. Made by the US mint in 1871 to honor George F. Robinson the soldier who foiled the assassination attempt of the secretary of state. Here is info about the medal. http://www.neocollect.com/item/1031/ Here is the piece I picked up. This piece is 78mm.
Yes it was NGC. With less then 100 of these known this very well could be the finest known. There is no pop report available from NGC tho. I'm going to confer with Heritage at Central States and see about getting this guy and some others they we got back in this order in an auction.
That obverse is almost flawless, it has that one nick. It also seems to have a "sheen" about it in the fields, something short of a patina. Am I seeing this correctly? Either way, I don't normally enjoy medals, but this one looks awesome. Any coin...errr medal... with a knife fight on it is ok with me ... :devil: edit: when I click on the link, they show the coin in the opposite presentation. who is correct on the obverse, reverse question, you or neocollect?
Nevermind. After some googling, I see the bust is the obverse and the fight scene the reverse. I would have asked NGC to slab it with knife fight forward.
The fight scene makes it look like Robinson kept Powell away from Seward completely. Actually Powell stabbed and incapacitated Robinson before he attacked Seward. Seward was actually saved by a metal brace around his head and neck that was immobilizing the broken jaw he had received in a riding accident. Powell also clubbed one of Sewards sons senseless and stabbed another son. He also stabbed a messenger as he left the home.
