1790 Silver Medal Fuld-FR.M.NL.8 Benjamin Franklin

Coin Details

Auction Record

$66,000 MS62 04-03-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1790 silver medal, cataloged as Fuld-FR.M.NL.8, is the precious metal version of the early posthumous Benjamin Franklin commemorative. Silver Franklin memorial medals from 1790 are significantly scarcer than their bronze counterparts, as fewer examples were struck in precious metal. The silver composition elevated this from a mass-produced memorial token to a presentation-quality tribute to the founding father. Franklin's extraordinary range of accomplishments — printer, scientist, diplomat, inventor, philosopher, and statesman — made him the most admired American of the eighteenth century, and his death at age 84 occasioned an unprecedented outpouring of medallic commemoration. Silver examples of 1790 Franklin medals are prized by collectors of both Frankliniana and early American medals.

Rarity Notes

Fuld-FR.M.NL.8, silver. Premium posthumous Franklin medal from 1790. Significantly scarcer than bronze version.

Cross References

PCGS #935200; Fuld-FR.M.NL.8; Benjamin Franklin, 1790 Silver