1779 White Metal Medal Betts-566, Obv Cliche

Coin Details

Description

This 1779 white metal obverse cliche of the De Fleury at Stony Point medal (Betts-566) is a single-sided impression of the obverse die. A cliche (or clicher) is a thin uniface impression struck from a single die, typically produced as a trial strike, record piece, or collector souvenir. The Betts-566 medal honors Lieutenant Colonel Francois-Louis Teisseidre de Fleury, the French volunteer who was the first soldier over the walls during Wayne's night assault on Stony Point on July 16, 1779. De Fleury personally seized the British flag from the ramparts. Congress awarded him one of only eight Comitia Americana medals given to non-Americans. Colonial medals served multiple functions simultaneously: as propaganda tools promoting imperial policy, as diplomatic gifts establishing relationships with indigenous peoples and rival powers, and as commemorative art preserving historical memory. This obverse cliche preserves the portrait die without the reverse, offering a focused view of the engraving.

Rarity Notes

White metal obverse cliche. Uniface impression. Unusual format. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-566; De Fleury at Stony Point; obverse cliche; Comitia Americana