1983 Bronze Libertas Americana Medal - Copy of Original Design

Coin Details

Auction Record

$288 MS67BN 03-29-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

A bronze copy of the Libertas Americana medal produced in 1983 to mark the 200th anniversary of the original medal's creation. Augustin Dupre completed the original dies and struck the first medals in 1783, making 1983 a natural year for commemorative reproduction of this celebrated work. The 1983 bicentennial-of-the-medal timing distinguishes this piece from the 1976 Bicentennial copies (which celebrated the Declaration of Independence) and the later Monnaie de Paris restrikes (which began in 2000). This copy specifically honors the medal itself and its place in the history of Franco-American relations and medallic art. Bronze was the composition of the majority of original 1783 strikings, making it the most historically appropriate metal for a commemorative copy. The Libertas Americana design — Liberty with flowing hair on the obverse, the allegorical reverse of infant Hercules defended by Minerva — had by 1983 been recognized for two centuries as one of the masterworks of Western medallic art. The 1983 bronze copy appeals to collectors interested in the medal-anniversary connection and to those who appreciate the symmetry of a 200-year span between original and reproduction. It represents a different commemorative context from either the patriotic Bicentennial copies or the institutional Monnaie de Paris restrikes.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce. The 200th anniversary of the medal provided a specific commemorative context for this reproduction.

Cross References

Betts-615 (original); 1983 medal bicentennial reproduction; Dupre 1783