In our last blog, we briefly discussed the entries in Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Coin Resource Center on Comitia Americana medals. This week, we will be taking a closer look at the entry covering the Washington Before Boston medal, the first medal approved by the Continental Congress.
The Washington Before Boston medal depicts the British evacuation of Boston. Facing artillery captured from Fort Ticonderoga placed at Dorchester Heights, the British troops in the city elected to withdraw, a process completed on March 17, 1776. Days later, on March 25, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to have a gold medal presented to Washington and his troops for their success.
The Revolution and other bureaucratic issues delayed the production of the medal, which was not presented to Washington until 1790. Gold, silver, and copper versions were struck at the Paris Mint. It took years to realize, but the result was the first Congressional gold medal and one of the most famous of all U.S. medals. Its obverse and reverse designs have been recreated and recycled on numerous other tokens, medals, and various pieces of exonumia over the centuries since its issuance.
Our CRC listing details the famous medal’s rich history, as do the auction catalogs to which our CRC entry links.
Like other CRC entries, the page on the Washington before Boston medal includes links to recent auction appearances and high-quality images.
