1824 Lafayette Visit Medalet. Musante GW-112, Baker-198A, Fuld-LA.1824.12.

1824 Lafayette Visit Medalet. Musante GW-112, Baker-198A, Fuld-LA.1824.12. Silver. VF Details--Bent (PCGS). 14.0 mm. The loop is almost always missing from tokens of this type, as here. Handsome olive-gray patina overall, both sides with universally bold detail at the assigned grade level. The vintage and purpose of these medalets are undisputed. They were struck to mark the occasion of the Marquis de Lafayette's return to the United States for an American tour in 1824. He arrived on August 15 and across the following 14 months, he visited each of the States of the Union where he was met with all manner of fanfare, from the casual donning of thematic gloves, badges, belts, combs, chains, socks, silks and anything else one might imagine, to more formal engagements such as visits to Mount Vernon. Though a French National, he was arguably the second greatest celebrity in the United States, with only George Washington ahead of him. The matter of who made these medalets presents quite the opposite situation. For most of the last 199 years, these medalets have been attributed to Charles Cushing Wright, though a proposal in 2008 that they were made by a Joseph Lewis seems to have stuck quickly. This is not a proper attribution, however, and we discussed this in some depth in our offering of the Sydney F. Martin Collection specimen in our Winter 2022 sale, lot 2128. Despite the lingering questions, these medalets have long been prized for their unique historic significance marking Lafayette's American tour. They are quite rare today. Our online archives include about a dozen different examples sold over the last 15 years or so, while Heritage seems to have sold only a couple. Even the ANS Collection seems to be missing the type. Provenance: From Presidential Coin and Antique Co., Inc.'s Auction Eighty-One, June 2011, lot 226. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.

Estimate:£0.74

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