1790 Manly Medal. Original. Musante GW-10, Baker-61B. Brass. SP-62 (PCGS).

48.5 mm. 534.2 grains. This piece deserves the sharing of a short story. Upon sliding this medal from the envelope and setting eyes on the reverse for the first time, the present writer thought, “oh, a nice reissue Manly.” Not so! That is how nice this medal appears in hand. Though we have seen generously red ones and other nice pieces, none has been so striking as this. Brass Manly medals are plentiful enough that it is fair to suspect a technically nicer one exists somewhere, but this is certainly the nicest brass original the writer can recall seeing. The initial mis-assignment as a reissue may be blamed on the highly unusual and stunning prooflike fields. The depth of the mirrors is unlike any Manly we recall and gives incredible aesthetic appeal. Both sides are largely pleasing light olive brown with deeper toning outlining the devices and through the legends of both sides. When turned in the light, flashes of iridescent blue, rose, soft green and gold come to life in the lively fields. Faint traces of faded red still cling to some of the most protected areas. Close inspection reveals no notable flaws from handling, but it is clear that even the strong multiple strikes were not enough to fully eradicate the natural roughness of the cast planchet. Still, the details are unusually sharp, with full definition of even the fine hairlines in Washington’s head, and incredible relief through the entirety of the reverse legend. Even without the other notable attributes, this detail alone would set this medal apart from most of its peers, as softness and unevenness in the reverse design is the norm. In fact, considering the features mentioned, it is hard to not point to this as truly special. Rarely was such obvious care taken in the production of a brass Manly medal, and the care this has enjoyed across more than two centuries of handling is clearly remarkable.

From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Anthony Terranova; Lawrence R. Stack Collection, November 2006.