| Description |
Alan V. Weinberg comments: Unmarked, but probably struck from coin gold.900 fine. Integral jump ring at 12 o'clock, fancy hanger in the shape of a vertical figure-eight with a hand-engraved and decorated detailed belt charm attached. Entirely hand-engraved with designs imitative of the die struck medal authorized by the Common Council of the City of New York, designed by C.C. Wright. Legends unique to this medal : on obverse CHERUBUSCO, CHAPULTEPEC, VERA CRUZ, CERRO GORDO, CONTRERAS, GARITA DE BELIN around the periphery, 1846-48 below the central device of America heaving a thunderbolt into Vera Cruz. On the reverse, the periphery reads: "Presented by the New York Volunteers, To Bv't Brig. Gen. Ward B. Burnett." around the seal of the City of New York. Beautifully engraved in banknote-style intaglio on flat fields surrounded by a separate, fitted high square raised rim. Unlike the struck medals presented by the City of New York in 1848, this piece does not bear the signature of C.C. Wright who might well have engraved this medal as it is in the finest engraved style with great skill. Out of numismatic circulation for more than one and one half centuries, this medal was in posession of General Burnett's family descendants until auctioned in Aug 2012 and was previously unknown and unpublished. Provenance: StacksBowers; August 2012 Philadelphia ANA World's Fair of Money Auction, lot 11133 |
