1865 New York State Civil War Volunteers Medal. Julian MI-32. Copper

1865 New York State Civil War Volunteers Medal. Julian MI-32. Copper, Bronzed. MS-63 BN (NGC). 37.4 mm. Uninscribed. Beautiful rich mahogany-brown patina on frosty to semi-reflective surfaces. Sharply struck and otherwise choice, some muting to the finish at lower reverse explains the Select Mint State assessment from NGC. An unusual and rare medal, with a listed mintage of 5,300 pieces but a surviving population of perhaps a dozen today. Joe Levine's offering of this exact piece in 2013 was accompanied by the notation that he had recorded just seven auction records in the 20 years leading up to that sale, including multiple offerings of the same piece. Just one of those was inscribed. He cited the work of Paul Till in his The Military Awards of the Empire State, who noted that this medal was awarded not to every volunteer, but to the commander of each regiment, which would help explain its rarity. An underappreciated entry among U.S. Mint military medals. Provenance: From the Henry Mitchell Collection. Earlier from our (Bowers and Ruddy's) New York Public Library Collection sale, October 1982, lot 2655; Presidential Coin and Antique Co., Inc.'s Richard B. Dusterberg Collection sale, October 2000, lot 498; Presidential Coin and Antique Co., Inc.'s Auction Eighty-Three, June 2013, lot 315. Click here for certification details from NGC.

Estimate:$1

View all items fromStack's BowersorMedals, Arms & Armor