BHM #613 - 1806

Death of William Pitt

Obv.	Similar to No. 470.
No. 470:	Draped bust of William Pitt, bare head, left.
Above in large capitals:	WILLIAM PITT
Below in smaller capitals:	APPOINTED FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY AND CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER DEC: 1783

Rev.	Inscription within open wreath of oak WITH / FORTITUDE / WISDOM / AND INTEGRITY / HE SERVED / A PROSPEROUS / NATION / AND / A VIRTUOUS / KING / DIED JAN^r. 23 / 1806

AE 53 by J. G. Hancock.

AE N.

AM; BM; BMAG.

The reverse of this piece is very similar to that used in 1799. It is, however, a new die and not the 1799 die re-engraved. See also note to No. 610

p. 151, British Historical Medals 1760-1960 Volume 1.

d'Essling #2908 Pitt (Guillaume), homme d'État anglais, 1759-1806. (Hancock)
Buste à g.	R. Légende.
Br. 53 mm.

Strangely, this is the second piece on Pitt that I have where the attribution is incomplete or incorrect. In the case of the first it identifies the piece with the wrong Dalton & Hamer number. That first piece also has a very different portrait of the same man! In this case BHM does not list this piece in white metal. The earlier piece (No.470) was also struck in pewter and this could certainly be pewter instead of the less exact description "white metal".

I'm guessing the d'Essling reference was to one of this medal and not the 1799 piece of nearly the same size by the same engraver since it is listed chronologically after other medals dated 1806.

I've reproduced the error in BHM in the reverse description that shows the last letter in the month as an "r". If you study the hi-res scan by clicking on the reverse you can see that it is clearly a "Y". I doubt that this is a corrected die so the error is more likely with Brown.