1920 Medal Society Of Cincinnati Copper 41mm

Coin Details

Auction Record

$156 MS63BN 11-30-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1920 Society of the Cincinnati copper medal at 41mm is a commemorative issue from one of America's oldest and most prestigious hereditary organizations. The Society of the Cincinnati was founded in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army and their French allies at the close of the American Revolution. Named after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the Roman farmer who left his plow to serve as dictator during a military crisis and then returned to private life, the Society embodied the ideal of the citizen-soldier who serves the nation in time of need and then relinquishes power. The 41mm copper medal commemorates an anniversary or meeting of the Society. By 1920, membership had passed through multiple generations of descendants from the original Revolutionary War officers. The Society maintained headquarters at Anderson House in Washington, D.C. — a magnificent Beaux-Arts mansion on Embassy Row that served as both a museum and meeting place. The obverse typically features the Society's distinctive eagle badge designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, while the reverse carries event-specific inscriptions. The Society of the Cincinnati has been both admired and criticized throughout its history. George Washington served as its first President General, and the organization counted among its early members Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Critics, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, feared that a hereditary society of military officers represented an incipient aristocracy incompatible with republican government. The Society survives today as a historical and patriotic organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the American Revolution.

Rarity Notes

Society of the Cincinnati medals are produced in limited quantities for members and institutional purposes. The organization maintains a distinguished medallic tradition dating to the eighteenth century.

Cross References

PCGS #889634; Society of the Cincinnati, founded 1783