King's College Literary Society Medal Certified By NGC Realizes More Than $160,000 In Auction

NGC - One of only four surviving examples of this 1770 medal known today, it more than tripled its pre-auction estimate in a Spink sale in July.

A rare scholarly medal issued in New York before the Revolutionary War far exceeded its estimated value to set a new six-figure record. It was one of dozens of rarities certified by NGC® in Spink's America 250 auction on July 29, 2026.

Topping the sale was a (c.1770) King's College Literary Society Award graded NGC MS 61 (lot 155), which easily surpassed Spink's pre-auction estimate of $35,000 to $40,000 and realized $165,375. Only four examples of this medal are known to exist today, and this sale more than doubled the previous record price of $66,000, which was set in a 2021 auction.

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In 1766, the Literary Society of King's College (the institution that became Columbia University after the American Revolution) was founded to encourage scholarship and academic excellence. The society awarded medals to students who demonstrated exceptional achievement in subjects such as classical languages, philosophy, mathematics, and the liberal arts. Only four examples are known to survive, and this is one of only two currently in private hands, according to the auction house.

This example was hand-engraved by noted silversmith Elisha Gallaudet, famous among numismatists for the enigmatic and highly prized Continental Dollars. Their obverse legend includes the text EG FECIT ("E.G. made it"), a reference thought to refer to Gallaudet.

This particular medal was awarded to James Creighton (1751-1822), a lawyer from a well-established New York family. Throughout his life, he moved in the circles of the Founding Fathers, but the Creighton family were Loyalists faithful to the British Crown during the American Revolution. They were forced to briefly abandon New York after the war, before returning with the assistance of John Jay.

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