Washingtoniana
Circa 1862 Ugly Head Medal. Musante GW-715, Baker-89C. White metal. Plain edge. MS-64 (PCGS).
37.9 mm. 253.1 grains. Essentially brilliant with bold prooflike fields that exhibit just a trace of faint hairlining and a couple of small marks in the lower right obverse field. Frosty on the devices and well-struck as usual. As discussed in the description of the bronze above, the Ugly Head medals were probably struck in 1862, but the dies were reported destroyed by the end of 1863. When Sylvester Crosby bought this one, it was virtually new, having been struck only two decades prior to his own sale of the piece. It sat in the Garrett Collection for nearly a century, and now has been in the present collection nearly 40 years. Though the distinctive Ugly Heads do appear for sale in this composition from time to time, rarely do they come with a provenance back to nearly the day of production.
PCGS# 655342.
From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. Earlier from Sylvester S. Crosby, John W. Haseltine, June 1883, lot 388; T. Harrison Garrett; our (Bowers and Ruddy's) sale of the Garrett Collection, March 1981, lot 1771 (part).
Estimate: $1200