Original Strike
Base
About This Coin
Original medals from 1783 bearing the iconic Libertas Americana design by Augustin Dupré, one of France's finest engravers. Commissioned by Benjamin Franklin while serving as American minister to France, the medal celebrates the victories at Saratoga (1777) and Yorktown (1781). The obverse features Liberty as a young woman with flowing hair and a liberty pole, dated July 4, 1776. The reverse depicts the infant Hercules (America) strangling two serpents while Minerva (France) fends off the British leopard with her shield. Franklin personally oversaw the striking at the Paris Mint and presented examples to the French court. Original strikes in bronze and silver are known, with the silver being significantly rarer.
