(1790s) Medal Washington-Success Small, Plain Edge

Coin Details

Auction Record

$8,050 MS62 01-01-2007 Heritage Auctions

Description

The Washington Success medal in small format with plain edge is the most commonly encountered variety of the small-module Success tokens produced in England during the 1790s. At approximately 23mm in diameter, this piece was sized to circulate alongside contemporary copper cents and British halfpence in American commerce. The obverse features a somewhat crude but immediately recognizable bust of Washington facing right, surrounded by the legend SUCCESS TO THE UNITED STATES, while the reverse displays a spread-winged heraldic eagle. The plain edge, lacking the reeding found on some companion varieties, indicates striking without a collar die. The small Success tokens were produced in Birmingham, England, by the same manufacturers responsible for the extensive series of British provincial tokens and American Washington pieces that flooded transatlantic commerce during the 1790s. These tokens filled a genuine need for small-denomination circulating media in the early American republic, where the United States Mint had only begun operations in 1792 and could not yet meet public demand for copper coinage. The Washington bust served as both a patriotic emblem and a mark of commercial credibility, lending the token an air of quasi-official authority.

Rarity Notes

Available but scarce in higher grades. The small plain-edge variety is the most accessible of the small Success tokens. Most survivors show moderate to heavy circulation wear.

Cross References

Baker-266; Musante GW-42; PCGS #782