This medal, commemorating the American Revolution, was executed by John Reich at the request of Philadelphia merchant Joseph Sansom. Although the medal is dated 1776, it was struck at the United States Mint in the early 1800s. The device of the beaver (which symbolized the perseverance and industriousness of America), gnawing the oak tree (the emblem of Great Britain), was used on the Continental money. Sansom described the reverse of this medal as follows: "The American Beaver nibbling at the Overshadowing Oak of the British Power on the Western Continent. Date–1776".
This medal apparently is a mule as the reverse was also paired with jugate busts of Franklin and Washington (Betts 248/549).