John Paul Jones - The Capture of the British Frigate H.M.S. Serapis

An Extremely Fine John Paul Jones medal in silver (Lot 787) marking the 1779 capture of the HMS frigate Serapis by the USS Bonhomme Richard realized the equivalent of nearly $50,000 in Morton &Eden Ltd.'s Dec. 2 auction in London.

The medal's estimate was £6,000 to £8,000, the U.S. equivalent of approximately $7,563 to $10,084. The final closing hammer price was £33,000; adding the 20 percent buyer's fee brought the totalprice realized to roughly $49,936.

1789 East Florida Proclamation Medal

Another early American medal also realized above estimates in the sale.

A 1789 silver medal (Lot 786) commemorating the Proclamation of Charles IV of Spain as King by the Governor of East Florida Vicente Manuel de Zespedes, carried an estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.The final hammer price was £22,000; adding the buyer's fee brought the total price realized to nearly $33,250.

To read the complete article, see:
Someone was willing to pay well above estimate to buy a medal they really wanted(www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2017/01/john-paul-jones-medal-brings-quadruple-top-estimate.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: MEDALS IN THE MORTON & EDEN DECEMBER 2016 SALE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n46a33.html)