George F. Robinson Lifesaving Medal / Sold

George F. Robinson Lifesaving Medal - 77mm. Copper, bronzed. Anthony Paquet, Sc. (U.S. Mint) Choice About Uncirculated. Obverse with a bearded bust of Robinson to the left with a legend honoring him for his heroic conduct on April 14, 1865 in saving the life of Secretary of State William Seward. The reverse depicts Robinson warding off the knife-wielding Lewis Paine, in his attempt to assassinate the bedridden Seward.

The reverse is one of the most dramatic of all medals in the U.S. Mint series. As Cornelius Vermule noted, “The reverse, sketched by G.Y. Coffin, presents the scene in the sickroom in the same theatrical terms that Harper’s and the Illustrated London News showed John Wilkes Booth’s attack on the President.” One of only 84 medals struck in copper.

Inventory Number: CUR 026 / Sold