1800 Washington Hero of Freedom medal. Tinned ("silvered") bronze, 39 mm. Baker 79X, unlisted. Very Fine.

1800 Washington Hero of Freedom medal. Tinned ("silvered") bronze, 39 mm. Baker 79X, unlisted. Very Fine. While the Rulau-Fuld update of Baker listed silver, white metal (which I've never seen or heard of; I doubt it exists), fire-gilt bronze, and (from the Department of Redundancy Deparment) copper, bronze, and bronzed copper, it does not list silvered copper or bronze. This one was clearly "silvered" (really a tin wash) in the era. It has thinned from friction on the obverse highpoints and corroded (as tin usually does) here and there, particularly around the peripheries. This piece has clearly seen its share of handling, but its eye appeal is still decent and its rarity is just about as tough as it gets, as this has flown under the radar of some of the last century and a half's most savvy researchers. Ford had silver ( x 2), bronze, fire-gilt bronze, and copper, overstruck on a 1797 Cartwheel twopence. He did not have one of these.