Description: The Libertas Americana medal is one of the most famous medals of all time. Collectors of exonumia and Americana revere it. Its creation and distribution is highly researched. And although the medal for sale here shares the same obverse design, it is quite different in many ways. It was not crafted by an expert engraver and today's researchers know very little about it, if they are even aware of its existence. As long as Google translate has done me any justice, the following are the translations of the inscriptions on this medal: Obverse: "Malheur à celui qui veut ma mort": Woe to him who wants me dead. Reverse: "Napoleon lu a voulu etre Empereur des Francais aussi bientattune sera plus rien.": Napoleon wanted to be Emperor of the French so soon it will be nothing. To help explain the meaning of this text, a little French history is necessary. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, later known as Napoleon III, was elected in 1848, becoming the first and only president of the French 2nd Republic. At the time, the constitution prohibited an incumbent from being re-elected. Napoleon Bonaparte sought constitutional reform but Parliament refused. A carefully planned coup d'état was initiated on December 2, 1851 with the arrest of opposition leaders and six edicts that proclaimed him ruler. The coup d'état was not accomplished without force, however, as soldiers were used to suppress a revolt and hundreds of people were killed. This was a very simplistic summary of events but helps explain the criticism of Napoleon seen on the medal presented here. It is likely not a coincidence that the obverse design of this medal comes from that of the Libertas Americana medal, a design which represents American freedom and executed by a French engraver. This medal is crudely crafted. The lettering was likely hand carved into the dies by someone that was not long experienced in the trade and who lacked letter punches that would have done the job more cleanly and easily. The piece is cast with bubbles and other imperfections seen on both faces. The core of the metal is white metal with copper plating. The medal appears to be slightly bent, but I don't know whether that is an artifact of its creation or something that happened to it in the 170 or so years since. Size/Diameter:47mmComposition: Copper over white metalEngraver: UnknownMaker: UnknownMintage: Unknown Please review the photos closely before bidding. I try my best to represent the item accurately in the photos. Please ask questions that you may have prior to bidding or purchasing. Thanks for looking! Errors.mostly On eBayMedals, Tokens, and Error Coins Mostly
Price: 2395 USD
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
End Time: 2024-08-31T01:38:46.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Circulated/Uncirculated: Circulated
Composition: Copper over white metal
Type: Medal
Country/Region of Manufacture: France
