Despite its name, Stack’s Bowers Galleries Coin Resource Center includes Numismatic Americana as well. Currently the CRC features information on Early American and Betts Medals, the latter category referring to early U.S. medals cataloged by 19th century numismatist Charles Wyllys Betts in his seminal posthumous 1894 work American Colonial History Illustrated by Contemporary Medals. Medals covered date from the mid-16th to the late 18th centuries.
The next few CRC blogs will highlight entries on Comitia Americana medals, a series commissioned by the U.S. Congress and struck at the Philadelphia and Paris mints in the 1770s and 1780s commemorating pivotal moments in the American Revolution. We’re delving into these historic pieces in anticipation of a variety of Comitia Americana medals featured in our upcoming Spring 2024 auction. Our first featured CRC entry is for the Washington Before Boston medal.
The listings include histories of the events commemorated on the medals, the authorizing legislation for each medal, accounts of their production, and their relevant catalog listing numbers. Links to high-quality images and recent Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction appearances are also included, as on other CRC listings. This serves as an effective primer for anyone seeking information on these storied early American medals.
