BOOK REVIEW: MEDALLIC WASHINGTON

Washingtoniana has enjoyed a central place in American numismatics for more than a century and a half. Despite this, its literature has had high points and low points. James Ross Snowden’s 1861 A Description of the Medals of Washington was the first high point. That initial entry into the field came with the imprimateur of the United States Mint and all the stature that came with it. Only an extraordinary effort could bump it from its perch, but that effort came just two decades later, when William Spohn Baker released his Medallic Portraits of Washington in 1885. Numismatists never took to Baker’s Engraved Portraits of Washington, published in 1880, but Baker’s book on coins, medals, and tokens became the bible in the field.

Like the original bible, Baker’s work reached the masses only after a masterful editing. George Fuld’s 1965 edition maintained the dignity and layout of the original, but added illustrations, useful marginalia on rarity and provenance, an excellent introduction, and a useful suffix on compositions and values. The book was worthy of Fuld’s expertise and breathed a new life into a then-dusty tome.

If Krause Publications giveth to the world of Washingtoniana with the 1965 Fuld edition, it tooketh away with the 1993 Fuld-Rulau debacle. Rife with errors, laid out with the energy and discernment of a toddler running through a pile of autumn leaves, it introduced chaos and misinformation into a field that had previously enjoyed organization and scholarship. While the world of exonumia collecting bloomed at the dawn of the 21st century, the most august of American exonumic specialties remained lashed to an anchor bound in colorfully decorated boards. Only freeing itself from the Rulau-Fuld book would allow the world of Washingtoniana to flourish once more.

The first time I met Neil Musante, I told him he had written the perfect book. Neil’s work on the products of Springfield, Massachusetts engraver John Adams Bolen was a simple masterpiece: perfectly organized, nicely illustrated, compactly bound and delivered, replete with original research that answered every conceivable question. As I didn’t know Neil when he wrote it, I could only imagine it had sprung from his hands like Athena from the forehead of Zeus: fully formed and damn near flawless.

Having become friends with Neil, I now have greater insight into his research and writing process. He is indefatigable, an easier laurel to lay at his feet than the word is to pronounce aloud. He flipped every stone, photographed every collection, spoke to every specialist, and considered every theory. It took him years. The product of his Herculean labors would embarrass Baker and offend Snowden, as he has neatly outdone them both.

Neil’s book is big. Too big, if you ask me, if only because I yearn for new enthusiasts of Washingtoniana to have a paperback that will engage and edify them for the price of a pizza. Neil’s work could not be so restrained, and one volume became two. Editing the books for length would have affected their subject mastery, so while I rue the fact that new collectors are unlikely to plunk down the price tag, I’m glad to have every single page. All the standard information is there: artists (some newly identified) and minters, designs and compositions, rarity and notable offerings. The special information is there too, with easy to read storytelling and fascinating context on each medal and raison d’etre. Neil included Rulau’s sometimes fanciful list of compositions, a reflection of his easygoing personality as much as anything. When Rulau received reports of a medal existing in white metal, lead, pewter, and spelter, he liked to list four different alloys instead of recognizing four different descriptions of medals that were otherwise identical. It’s a small complaint, but one that may continue to trip up perfectionists and completists.

Other faults are few. Neil and I have some disagreements on the histories of particular medals; it is fortunate that dueling was no longer an option when we discussed whether the Sansom medal or the Halliday medal that copied it came first. Neil will probably point out some typos, but no one else is apt to care. There are some things that smell like fantasies to me that Neil includes out of a sense of responsibility to those who have included them in the past. Future collectors will undoubtedly be glad to have them in the book rather than melted into a single large decorative lawn ornament, as I would prefer.

Snowden wrote a foundational reference whose usefulness will endure. Baker wrote a landmark that has defined how collectors approach a daunting field. Musante has created the ultimate work on the medals of George Washington, a magnum opus whose writing should be appreciated, but not without recognizing the research and organization that allows it to shine so brightly.

Sturdily bound and beautifully produced in England, Musante’s Medallic Washington is a joy to hold despite its ironic nation of origin. The price tag will only seem steep to those who haven’t seen the book. No one who professes any interest in Washingtoniana that surpasses the most trivial curiosity can live without it. My sincerest hope is that this book sells out promptly and inspires Mr. Musante to tackle further briar patches in the field of American medals. Few authors in American numismatic history have managed to handle difficult material as deftly or publish a reference as worthy of their labors.

Neil Musante’s two-volume work Medallic Washington is now available for sale. Published August in Great Britain by Spink, the initial small allotment sent by air was quickly exhausted at the A.N.A. Convention and only now has the bulk shipment been received. In two blue cloth volumes, crown quarto, 850 pages with several thousand color illustrations, Medallic Washington lists and describes with historical background 1200 tokens, medalets and medals produced through the centennial of Washington’s inauguration. The material has been completely rearranged and reorganized as reflected by the new GW-xx numbering system which should set the standard for years to come.

The set is available exclusively from the undersigned at $175.00 postpaid. A special edition edition by the Harcourt Bindery is planned. Details will be available on inquiry.

Charles Davis, Numisbook.com

Charles Davis
P.O. Box 1
Wenham, MA 01984

Tel: (978) 468 2933
Fax: (978) 468 7893

http://www.numisbook.com

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