(c.1830) Bronze Medal J-PE-15, Dr. David Hosack

Coin Details

Auction Record

$204 MS63BN 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze medal from circa 1830, cataloged as Julian PE-15, honors Dr. David Hosack, one of the most prominent physicians and botanists in early nineteenth-century New York. Hosack is best known to history as the doctor who attended Alexander Hamilton after his fatal duel with Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804. Beyond this tragic connection, Hosack was a pioneering figure in American medicine and botany, founding the Elgin Botanic Garden in Manhattan (on the site now occupied by Rockefeller Center) — the first public botanical garden in the United States. He was also a professor of medicine at Columbia College and a founding member of numerous scientific and literary societies. The Julian catalog designation PE-15 places this within the Personal medals series of the Julian reference for United States government medals. This medal commemorates one of the most accomplished and culturally significant physicians of the early republic.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Julian PE-15. Dr. Hosack medals are of interest to medical history, botanical history, and Hamilton-Burr duel collectors.

Cross References

PCGS #681781; Julian PE-15; Dr. David Hosack; Botanist; c.1830