1837 New York Mechanics Institute Medal, by Moritz Furst. Silver. 51.1 mm. Harkness NY-370, Neuzil-5

1837 New York Mechanics Institute Medal, by Moritz Furst. Silver. 51.1 mm. Harkness NY-370, Neuzil-58 (Reverse B). About Uncirculated.，Hand engraved on the reverse, "Awarded to / Thos. F. Peers / for very Superior / Plain Confectionary / Sep r. 1837. Once cleaned as many award medals are, but now nicely toned deep olive and gray with accents of gold and pale blue. A rare medal with an intricate obverse design by one the U.S. Mints early master engravers, Moritz Furst, who is best known for his numerous grand Mint medals in the Indian Peace, Naval and Military series, among others. This is likely a private work, not of mint issue, and is rarely seen. Two reverse types were used, this being the latter as evidenced by the award dates witnessed, and is easily identified by the added reverse inscription at the top, "Knowledge is Power." All examples seen have been dated between 1835 and 1839, suggesting a fairly small window of issuance. The last one we recall handling was in our January 2005 Americana Sale, which sold for just over $4,000, but the award was presented to the "Washington Company #1" for their "Fire Engine," so the theme was far superior than that of this medal. Still, it has been more than a decade since we have handled one of these beautifully designed and engraved pieces by Furst. Even the vast holdings of John J. Ford, Jr. do not seem to have included this type.，，