Medal US Society of Cincinatti (Victor D. Brenner) 1783 to 1914

George Washington was the first president of the Society of the Cincinnati, founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the officers of the Continental Army who served in the American Revolutionary War. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, architect of Washington DC, designed the insignia for the society in 1784. Later, about 1900, Victor David Brenner, a famous American medallist who would eventually design the Lincoln Cent, decided the the time for L'Enfant's design had come and produced trial pieces in white metal and bronze.

The piece in our main picture comes from renowned numismatist John Kraljevich [Press Here], and CoinQuest thanks John for use of his photos. Other examples, including replicas, can be seen on the Society's web site [Press Here] and at the American Numismatic Society [Press Here].

Establishing the value of this wonderful piece of Americana is not easy. There are very few genuine pieces available, but, even though some Society of Cincinnati pieces have sold at very high prices ($100000 and more!) this one has not yet experienced a surge in numismatic appeal. According to John Kraljevich, genuine, problem-free, nice-looking medals can bring upwards of $1000. That's a retail price. If you were selling your medal to a dealer, he or she would probably offer half that amount. As with most retail businesses, 100% markup is necessary to keep coin dealerships afloat.

Warning: replicas and fakes are out there. Our requester Cowboy Bill should consult with a professional numismatist, notably Mr. Kraljevich himself, or one of the top-notch dealers found at the Professional Numismatists Guild [Press Here] for further information.

If you would like to send images of your medal to CoinQuest, we may be able to help further. To do this, use the Contact link at the top of the home page to start and e-mail exchange.
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