1805 Washington Medal by Eccleston

1805 Washington Medal by Eccleston
PCGS SP64: With Eccleston’s Secret Marks

This sensational 76mm Bronze Medal was struck in England for the Pro-American Quaker Daniel Eccleston. A mere 10 examples are known to exist with these secret marks, all likely intended as presentation pieces by Eccleston to important members of American society.  Most of the known examples reside permanently in museums or other institutions.
 
Thomas Jefferson owned an example just like it and had it hung on his wall at Monticello. Eccleston was quite proud that this was the largest Medal produced of Washington for the era and thus it has become an essential entry in any important collection of Washingtonia.
 
The medal features a magnificent obverse image of General Washington and a reverse depiction of an American Indian.
 
The three secret punch marks appear as follows on the surface of the coin:
 
Obverse: A small triangular punch in the truncation next to the engraver’s name, WEBB.
 
Reverse: A small circular punch within the space formed between the Indian’s body and the viewer’s right arm.
 
Also Reverse: A small square punch beneath the line of the central medallion.
 
The known examples that have these “secret marks” all share them in the exact same locations.
 
Jefferson was presented his medal with these same marks directly by Eccleston himself. 
 
He was also sent two other medals with these marks that Jefferson was to give to Bushrod Washington and Justice John Marshall.
 
Clearly, Eccleston intended these as presentation pieces coded to their recipients that they came especially from him.