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Alan V. Weinberg comments: The finest known of the largest size "shell" (hollow) 1801 US Mint-struck Jefferson IPM's. Finer than LaRiviere's, finer than Ford's. Gem Prooflike Unc. Ex-Stack's privately to Laird Park decades ago, according to Tony Terranova who observed the transaction in the store. Laird U. Park, Jr. At 6'5" tall, was an imposing & distinguished-looking, quite knowledgable, wealthy Philadelphia collector of American colonial coins, selected early American historical medals, and early American books, maps and autographed documents of the highest rarity & value. His colonial coin coll'n - one of the finest assembled including an Unc. 1792 Birch cent (ex Chas. Jay coll'n)- was auctioned by Stack's in NYC on May 26, 1976. Park's library was auctioned by Sotheby's in NYC Nov 29, 2000. Buried in the middle of the thick library auction catalogue, unannounced to the numismatic world, were 6 lots of rare American medals, including this huge TJ IPM. Tony Terranova bought it and placed it in his bourse case at the following early January 2001 FUN Orlando, Fla coin show. During setup, out of the corner of my eye, this medal literally stopped me in my tracks. "Is this real?" I asked Tony, knowing that it was but astonished by its remarkable appearance. I think it took me 30 seconds to decide I had to have it. The cover plate specimen to Bowers/Jaeger's 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens book. Believed to be Thomas Jefferson's personal medal as he collected medals, tokens & Indian "vocabularies" and this medal was clearly unissued. One of the most impressive die-struck early American medals known and unique in US Mint-struck medal construction as a hollow multi-piece shell - obv and rev struck plates surrounded by separately applied hi-relief rim and suspension loop. The US Mint did not have presses capable of striking a solid medal this size in 1801. |
