Lusterrules So-Called Dollars

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Elisha Kent Kane was a United States Navy medical officer, Arctic explorer and author who in 1850 served as the senior medical officer in the first Grinnell expedition to find British explorer Sir John Franklin, who’s own arctic expedition had been missing since 1845. While Elisha Kent Kane was credited with the discovery of an encampment and gravesite from Franklin’s expedition, the First Grinnell expedition failed to find any other trace of Franklin or his men. In 1853 Elisha Kent Kane led the second Grinnell expedition to determine the fate of the lost Franklin expedition. Although the second Grinnell expedition was also unsuccessful in finding out what happened to the Franklin expedition, Kane and his men set a new record for northward exploration, delineated 960 miles of unexplored coastline north of 82° latitude, and discovered the long sort for open Polar Sea. Kane was also able to collect valuable geographical, climate and magnetic observations before being forced to abandon his ship the USS Advance to pack ice in May of 1855. Kane and his men began an 83-day journey overland trying to reach Upernavik, Greenland. After suffering many hardships along the way, they were found by a relief expedition and returned to New York City October 1855. Kane spoke frequently to large audiences about his Arctic expeditions and published two books chronicling them. Two United States Navy ships, a lunar crater and a waterway in the Arctic were named in his honor. This medal is made of bronze and was issued sometime after Dr. Kane’s death on February 14, 1857; however, it is unknown who the issuer was or if it was to commemorate either his death or his expeditions. It is one of only five examples that NGC has certified and at MS-64, it is the finest known. The overall rarity is R7 (11-20 known).