Owner Comments:
The silver version of the "Official Medal" from the Pan Am is unquestionably rarer than its Gilt Brass counterpart. Silver medals are rare and appear infrequently for sale; perhaps 2 to 3 per year. There was a flood for sale back in the first half of 2016 with no less than 6 different appearances in eBay and Heritage auctions.
Beyond medals actually composed of silver, there is a reference in a SCD tally of the existence of a silver-plated brass example. I was able to purchase that coin, once sold by Kopenhover in the 1970s. I also have a silver plated example of HK-290 that I hope leads to acceptance of a new 290B variety. Do not confuse true silver pieces or even a vintage plated piece with the gilt examples that have been unscrupulously silver plated recently, "antiqued" or doctored to appear old, and then offered for sale on venues such as eBay. Considering how many are in the current NGC pop report, this appears to be in the R5 range.
This piece has a wonderful patina with lovely toning particularly on the reverse. If it were not for a couple of marks on the obverse, this near gem would have graded higher. Plus it has a splendid pedigree from the Eric P. Newman Collection. There are four at this level with five graded higher: pop 4/7 and I would like to upgrade. The MS65 Ostheimer piece was offered for sale c. 2018 in the $1250 range. But for that price, I would rather have gone after the finest known at MS66.
NGC Pop 8/6/18 = 18
NGC Pop 1/14/23 = 26
1-40
1-50
1-55
2-58
1-61
5-62*
4-63*
4-64*
5-65
2-66
Total = 26, 3 - 12%, +2 Details