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Society of Medalists 111, Bursting the Bonds by Don De Lue, RARE Copper Test Strike [133749]

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Exonumia - Medals Start Price:400.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Society of Medalists 111, Bursting the Bonds by Don De Lue, RARE Copper Test Strike  [133749]
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300.00USD+ (75.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2021 Aug 08 @ 15:21UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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As rare as they come: this is a copper test strike of Don De Lue's Bursting the Bonds design for the Society of Medallists, SOM-111, issued in August of 1985. It probably surfaced from scrap or production rejects in the aftermath of the 2016 bankruptcy of Northwest Territorial Mint, which had purchased Medallic Art Company in 2009. De Lue's design was of such high relief that it took 14 cycles of striking and annealing to bring up the full relief and detail. His intent was that the background field would be removed, making the piece see-through, but production complications made that impractical. This test strike still has the untrimmed flange that remains outside the design during striking. It is about 80 x 81 mm and weighs 492 grams. A finished piece without the flange would have been 74 x 74 mm, made of bronze, and given a heavy dark patina. There were reportedly 750 finished bronze pieces issued by the Medallic Art Company Society of Medallists. There is one of these copper test strikes known, and this is it.

Date: 1985
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