The descendants of American Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette have a gold medal given to him by the family of George Washington, allowing it to be displayed in public only a handful of times.The 1 1/2-inch (3.8-centimeter) medal of an eagle surrounded by a wreath will be put up for auction next week and is expected to fetch $4 million to $10 million (€2.75 million to €6.87 million).The piece has been shown to the public just five times in its 224-year history — most recently in France in 1976, and just once in America, in Chicago in 1893. It is currently on exhibit at Sotheby’s in New York and will be the only item on the block at an auction Dec. 11. 

Posted: 12|7|07 at 10:29 am. Filed under: US News.