(1864) Medal GW-675, JAB-11 Copper Letter to Hamilton

Coin Details

Auction Record

$6,600 SP63RB 11-09-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper medal cataloged as GW-675 and JAB-11 reproduces Washington's letter to Alexander Hamilton, produced circa 1864 by John Adams Bolen. Bolen was a Springfield, Massachusetts die sinker and numismatic artist whose limited-production medals (designated JAB in the catalog) are highly prized by collectors. JAB-11 identifies this as the eleventh piece in Bolen's personal catalog of die sinkings. The subject — Washington's correspondence with Hamilton — highlights the intellectual and political partnership between the commander-in-chief and his brilliant young aide-de-camp, who would later become the first Secretary of the Treasury. The Washington-Hamilton relationship was foundational to the creation of the American financial system, and a medal commemorating their correspondence elevated this intellectual partnership to medallic form. Bolen's pieces were produced in very small quantities, typically fewer than fifty specimens per metal, making them among the most sought-after American private medals.

Rarity Notes

GW-675, JAB-11, copper. Bolen issue, very limited production. Among the scarcest privately made Washington medals.

Cross References

PCGS #909583; GW-675; JAB-11; Bolen Letter to Hamilton, copper