The first is the only real coin I have which is dated "1776." It's British guinea, which had a value of 21 shillings. The coin got its name from the source of the gold when went into the first examples. This "1776" half penny is a counterfeit. It was not struck in that year. And this is not dated "1776," but it commemorated the Treaty of Paris which granted the United States its independence. This Libertas Americana medal was conceived and paid for by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin gave two gold pieces to the king and queen of France (both lost probably during the French Revolution), about 50 pieces in silver and 200 in bronze. This is rated #1 among America's greatest medals.
Very nice Libertas Americana, I have a couple of tokens of it, nothing special but they still bring in a steady prices. I left a link on the design as I was surprised to find Ben Franklin had commissioned the medal and described in detail how he wanted the reverse design to look. Your gold guinea is a beauty, I've tried to buy one bidding but only the 1/3 as they are too pricey for me. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/comitia-americana-medals/libertas-americana
The Libertas Americana is one of my dream coins. They are available regularly enough that you can find them... but paying for it has been my challenge!
I bought that one back in the mid 1980s. I hate to tell you, but when I was becoming interested in the Cometia Americana series, there was a dealer at the Bay State Boston coin show who was offering a silver Libertas Americana medal for $5,000. Recently Heritage sold one for over $300 thousand. It was a better piece, probably tied or close to the finest known, but sill, what a price run up! A "run of the mill" silver piece has been selling for $135 to $150 thousand. Franklin commented, when he gave a bronze piece to one of his friends, that he thought the piece looks better in bronze. I agree with him, but silver is silver, and it's much rarer. I bought the 1776 guinea from the estate of an old friend, Lenard Finn, who was a member of the Boston Numismatic Society. It's fairly well circulated for one these pieces, but 30 years ago, there was not that much interest in it. Lenny owned one of the few known examples of the Massachusetts paper money notes from the 1690s. He donated it to the Smithsonian.
For those who might not know the symbolism on the reverse, here’s a quick review. The large lady with the shield, who represents France, is Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and battlefield strategy. She is holding off the British lioness with its tail symbolically between its legs. Under France’s protection is the infant Hercules, the United States, who is slaying two snakes, the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. The dates of those battles is below Hercules. The phrase in Latin above translates to “The bold infant is not without divine aid.” This praise of the French was typical of Franklin. He was a master at buttering them up to get aid for the American cause. Next to Washington, Franklin was the most important patriot during the American Revolution. The obverse design was inspired by Roman culture. When a slave was freed he or she was dubbed with a pole and given a conical shaped cap. America was now free! Later this design would be the inspiration for the Liberty Cap motif on early American copper coins. Back in the '80s members of the Early American Coppers club were a good part of the market for the Libertas Americana Medal. Then a lot of other collectors were attracted to it and drove up the prices.
Thank you very much. You never cease to amaze me. Since I love history so much, this was a joy to read, and learn.
I love reading the history of these older coins and medals. You sir, are a wealth of information. Maybe you should write a book.
I would love to write an update to the DeWitt-Sullivan 19th century political items guide, but one thing stops me. Collectors would expect rarity ratings for every variety. I can’t do that.
