A 1776 Libertas Americana silver medal, listed as Betts-615, graded MS-62 by PCGS sold for $180,000 at Stack’s Bowers’ Richard Margolis session March 24. The always-popular medal inspired the first coins of the U.S. Mint, and here the cataloger observed, “Deep antique gray surfaces, a shade lighter on the reverse than the obverse, retain beautiful pastel highlights of violet, blue, gold, and sea green,” calling it, “Nicely reflective in the fields on both sides, with abundant fine detail throughout the devices.”

The offered one had been off the market since 1980, when Margolis purchased it from Emile Bourgey at the Biennale des Antiquaires, Paris. Stack’s Bowers noted, “Mr. Margolis’ specialized knowledge of the medallic history of United States and France, along with his deeply networked ties in Europe, enabled him to gather his set through mostly private transactions and relatively obscure European sales.” While the silver examples are significantly rarer, Benjamin Franklin preferred Augustin Dupre’s design in copper, writing in 1783, “The Impression in Copper is thought to appear best.”

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