British and World Coins, Historical Medals

U.S.A., Captain Thomas Macdonough. Master Commandant of the United States Naval Squadron on Lake Champlain, 11 September, 1814, a silver medal by M. Fürst, tho macdonough stagno champlain class reg brit, uniformed bust of Capt. Macdonough right, superavit below, rev. uno latere percusso alterum, view of the American and British fleets, inter class ameri et brit die xi sep mdcccxiiii impavide vertit in exergue, 64.7mm, 122.10g (Julian NA.15, Loubat 34, Neuzil 34). Rim bruise at 2 o’clock on obverse and the fields hairlined with patchy iridescent toning, nevertheless extremely fine and attractive; extremely rare, being one of four known specimenss [Graded NGC UNC Details, Cleaned] £8,000-£12,000

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Stephen K. Nagy Estate; J.J. Ford Collection (Part V), Stack’s Auction, 12 October 2004, lot 174 (from David Bullowa, March 1959) achieving a hammer price of $20,000

The Battle of Lake Champlain or the Battle of Plattsburgh was the culmination of a short campaign in the late summer of 1814 and ended the final British invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812. It was fought between the American ships USS Eagle, Preble and Ticonderoga and under the command of Thomas MacDonough on his flagship USS Saratoga and the British vessels HMS Chubb, Confiance, Finch and Linnet. After some hours of exchanges, the British ships were mostly damaged and forced to surrender, although there were losses on both sides.
The surviving British officers boarded Saratoga to offer their swords (of surrender) to Macdonough. When he saw the officers, Macdonough replied, "Gentlemen, return your swords to your scabbards, you are worthy of them”
The naval historian William Laird Clowes regarded Macdonough’s victory as ‘a most notable feat, one which, on the whole, surpassed that of any other captain of either navy in this war’.