(c.1863) Copper Medal J-NA-1, Captain John Paul Jones

Coin Details

Auction Record

$705 SP66+BN 03-29-2017 Stack's Bowers

Description

The circa 1863 copper naval medal cataloged as Julian NA-1 honors Captain John Paul Jones. This copper striking dates from the Civil War era and represents one of several metal variations produced for the Jones medal across its long production history. The distinction between copper and bronze is primarily compositional — copper being the pure elemental metal while bronze is a copper-tin alloy — though the visual difference can be subtle. The obverse features Jones's naval portrait. The reverse carries the commemorative imagery of the Bonhomme Richard engagement. The Civil War-era production date indicates this was struck during a period of heightened patriotic interest in Revolutionary War heroes, when the nation was again fighting for its survival. During the Civil War, the Union Navy expanded from a peacetime force of ninety vessels to over 670 ships, and the example of John Paul Jones as the founding hero of American naval warfare took on renewed significance. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and Admiral David Farragut both drew inspiration from the Revolutionary War naval tradition that Jones exemplified.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings from the Civil War era are scarce. Distinguished from bronze by composition and potentially by color and surface characteristics.

Cross References

Julian NA-1; PCGS #615296