Ernest Lauser

References:   Cal FM-1974

References:   Cal FM-1975

The medal's obverse bears old man and youth's heads combined into Janus head in center. Around, a symbolic evolutionary circle starting with the sun at the top and continuing via lower life forms at the right to lion at the bottom and chain of technological achievements at left, all the way to atoms, leading back to the sun. Signed on truncation of Janus head, EL

The reverse bears calendar panel in center with chain of human life stages from baby at top right to old man at left. At top, 1977; signed at right bottom of calendar panel (VM monogram)

Both sides of the medal deal with the passage of time.  The Janus head is the traditional symbol for the transition from one year to the other.  The obverse deals with evolution and epochal time periods while the reverse deals with the stages of a human life and the process of aging.

While the medal's pamphlet claims that the obverse was designed by Don Everhart II and sculpted by Ernest Lauser, Don Everhart denies ever having worked on this medal. I tend to believe that he knows best what medals he worked on and just hope that the remainder of the information is more accurate.

The reverse was designed by Yves Beaujard and sculpted by Vincent Miller.

The circular medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Franklin Mint. No mintages are reported.  The silver variant was issued in a limited edition but I do not know the limit.

References:   Cal FM-1977