1800 Bronze Medal GW-81, The Hero of Freedom

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,880 MS63 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1800 bronze medal GW-81, "The Hero of Freedom," was produced in the immediate aftermath of George Washington's death on December 14, 1799, when a wave of mourning swept the nation and generated an enormous outpouring of commemorative medals, prints, and memorial objects. The Hero of Freedom title encapsulates the way Washington was perceived by his contemporaries — not merely as a successful military commander or competent administrator, but as the embodiment of republican liberty who had twice relinquished power voluntarily, first as commander-in-chief and then as president. The obverse of GW-81 presents Washington's portrait in a style consistent with the neoclassical aesthetic that dominated American commemorative art at the turn of the nineteenth century. The reverse carries inscriptions celebrating Washington's role as the champion of American independence and constitutional government. The "Hero of Freedom" epithet drew on the rich tradition of classical heroism that the founding generation used to frame Washington's achievements. Bronze examples of this 1800 memorial medal represent the standard commemorative production of the period. The immediate years following Washington's death saw the creation of dozens of memorial medals by engravers and diesinkers in both America and Europe, as the loss of the founding father was mourned internationally. GW-81 is one of the earliest entries in this memorial category.

Rarity Notes

Bronze striking of an 1800 memorial medal. Early Washington memorial medals from the year following his death are historically significant. Condition varies widely among surviving examples.

Cross References

Musante-Baker GW-81; PCGS #826307