WASHINGTON BEFORE BOSTON Medals

About This Coin

A long-running series of medals celebrating Washington's triumph at the Siege of Boston in March 1776, when Continental forces fortified Dorchester Heights and forced the British evacuation without a major battle. The original medal was authorized by the Continental Congress and first struck in Paris using dies by Pierre-Simon-Benjamin Duvivier — making it the first military decoration awarded by the United States. Over the following two centuries, the dies were used for restrikes and new reverse pairings were created, resulting in a rich series of related medals spanning from the original 1776 strikes through twentieth-century restrikes. The series also includes related Washington medals that share obverse dies or stylistic connections.