Catalog Reference

A.J.N., II, 65; XXIII, 32
V.L. Sup. 593

Often called the "French" Libertas Americana medal, this medal was engraved in Nuremberg, Germany by J.L. Oexlein, whose OE ligature signature is seen near the exergue on the right side of the obverse. It was presumably intended for a European audience following the peace treaty, as the symbols of the European combatants (Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands) are seen on shields above the Gorgon shield, symbolizing war, on the reverse. The symbolism of the obverse, depicting Louis XVI gesturing to a free-hat topped pillar that displays a thirteen-striped shield, is a clear reference to America’s newfound independence.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the Sydney F. Martin Part V Collection, where it realized $5,040.