FIRST MEDALS OF AMERICA

Foreword by Neil Musante

This book describes America’s first medals. They were not just your local county fair medals. They were a labor of love of the founding fathers (especially Franklin and Jefferson) to award distinguished patriots for risking their lives. War is not glamorous; it is disgusting, violent, and bloody. These medals are some of the most precious symbols of the birth of a new America. They are the birth of American numismatics.

But they had an extended gestation. Nevertheless, all but one were born before the US Mint began. The Continental Congress awarded each to courageous warriors for valor. Each medal involved an Act of Congress — before Congress produced standardized medals. Eat medal has its own story. As they say in Law and Order — “there are their stories”.

Now, with the publication of Peter Jones’s wonderful book on the subject that includes, for the first time, numismatic information on the various restrikes, electrotypes and copies one completes the Pentateuch (Loubat, Betts, Adams/Bentley, Kraljevich, Jones).  Peter is English and offers a really fun perspective on the subject.  I enjoyed reading his work and learned a great deal from it.  I can only say thanks to Peter for writing such an erudite, fun and concise guide to these medals. His perspective is brilliant and I will refer back to this book at least as often as I do to the others!

• 100 pages, profusely illustrated with color photos

• 26 full-page color medal photographs

• hardback 8.5 by 11 inches portrait format

• copyright 2020

• price $39, apply code TENOFF for $29 net