Commems Collection Classic: "did You Know?" Yorktown Medal - Lafayette Dollar #18

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Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 2,387
commems CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives United States 12252 Posts	Posted 07/18/2012 2:13 pm Though not officially acknowledged by the US Mint as a design reference, the obverse of Peter Krider's 1881 Yorktown Surrender Centennial medal is considered by many students of the US commemorative series to have had a very direct influence on Charles Barber's design for the obverse of the 1900 Lafayette silver dollar. Both pieces feature conjoined portraits of Washington and Lafayette, with Washington in the foreground. I've looked for a reasonable example of the Yorktown medal for a number of years while attending coin shows or reviewing catalogs of upcoming medal auctions. Several that I've encountered struck me as being aggressively over-priced and so did not make it into my collection. Recently, however, I participated in a mail bid auction from a dealer specializing in tokens and medals and wound up winning the medal shown below for a very reasonable price; from the price I paid, it appears to me that the bidding on the medal was limited. The medal shown is a white metal example, the medal is also available in copper, bronze and lead; white metal examples appear to be the least scarce based on my own experiences. The piece is just over 50mm in diameter and is 5mm at the rim; you can see in the images below (especially the obverse) that the medal is struck in fairly high-relief. The reverse of the medal depicts British Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis' surrender to General George Washington (on horseback). I've included an image of the obverse of the 1900 Lafayette dollar below for comparison with the medal. I'll leave it to you to decide how much Barber "borrowed" from Krider! Enjoy! 1881 Yorktown Surrender Medal -- Obverse 1881 Yorktown Surrender Medal -- Reverse 1900 Lafayette Silver Dollar - Obverse Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved. Report this Post to the Staff

Merc Man Pillar of the Community United States 561 Posts	Posted 07/18/2012 3:45 pm Quote: I'll leave it to you to decide how much Barber "borrowed" from Krider! I am pretty sure I would have received a failing grade for submitting such work when I was in school. Is there a place on the coin for a footnote crediting the original source? As always, thanks for the great lesson commems Report this Post to the Staff
bpoc1 Rest in Peace United States 4078 Posts	Posted 07/18/2012 4:52 pm History lesson # 18. Love it commems! Gorgeous coin. Report this Post to the Staff
kookoox10 Pillar of the Community United States 1054 Posts	Posted 07/18/2012 7:33 pm What are various prices you have found for the Yorktown medal? I can imagine it's several times more than the Lafayette. Report this Post to the Staff
joseph_curwen Valued Member United States 69 Posts	Posted 07/18/2012 8:57 pm Plagiarism at its finest. I have read a bit about the Lafayette Dollar, but have never seen any mention of the Yorktown medal. Well done and thanks for sharing. -Joseph Curwen, Gent. Report this Post to the Staff
nickelsearcher Moderator United States 15386 Posts	Posted 07/18/2012 9:13 pm Geepers ... another very well researched and presented story that shares some important insights behind the USA commemorative series. Congratulations to you for acquiring the 1881 Yorktown medal that you obviously searched a while for. I say that Mr. Barber borrowed quite a bit indeed. Thank You commems for the continued sharing and valued education. When are you going to publish the book ... I will be customer #1. David Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art Report this Post to the Staff
commems CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives United States 12252 Posts	Posted 07/19/2012 11:11 am Quote: What are various prices you have found for the Yorktown medal? I can imagine it's several times more than the Lafayette. You should be able to find a Yorktown medal in reasonable condition for somewhere in the $200 to $300 range for a white metal example. A copper/bronze example will generally be a bit more; the lead version is very scarce and tougher to price as they seldom appear. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved. Report this Post to the Staff
wquinn Pillar of the Community United States 2295 Posts	Posted 07/23/2012 10:28 am Very interesting comparison. Report this Post to the Staff
Captain Morgan Pillar of the Community United States 620 Posts	Posted 08/08/2012 2:49 pm Most interesting read. Was it noy common place for coin designers to borrow from others work? Report this Post to the Staff
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Commems Collection Classic: "Did You Know?" Yorktown Medal - Lafayette Dollar #18