Abolition of Slavery in the Colonies Medal

The first medal up for auction is one of my all-time favorite acquisitions. It is a near-gem BHM-1669 which bears the same motto and general theme asHardtimes token Low-54. BHM-1669 is a larger and much more refined production by expert English engraver and manufacture Thomas Halliday.

The obverse features a shackled female slave on bended knee, before a standing personification of Justice. Above, AM I NOT A WOMAN AND A SISTER. Below, LETUS BREAK THEIR HANDS ASUNDER AND CAST AWAY THEIR CORDS. PSALM II:3. On the reverse is a wreath laced with a ribbon that bears the names of prominent Britishabolitionists.

Examples of this medal appear on occasion. They are virtually always in white metal and with hairlines, rim bruising and at least a few tiny spots ofcorrosion. So naturally I wanted to beat the odds and find an excellent problem-free unc. I was elated when the presently offered specimen crossed my path. Iconsider this extremely rare as it is not only finer than any other BHM-1669 that I could trace, but is far rarer to begin with, having been stuck inbronze.

I thought the grade given by NGC to be a bit conservative. It's stunning in hand; the surfaces are lustrous and essentially free of the type of distractionsand hairlines that can often be inclusive of an MS64. I was pleasantly surprised to see the cataloger at Heritage had picked up on the same and noted such inthe lot description. He/She arrived at that conclusion independently of my own thoughts as I had not communicated this to HA.

Here is the full description given by the cataloger: