This medal's obverse bears group of three figures, standing, toga-wearing female with spear held in one hand and shield raised protectively over seated mother with naked toddler. Around, THE · EQUITABLE · LIFE · ASSURANCE · SOCIETY · OF · THE · UNITED · STATES
The reverse bears text in center, 100th / Anniversary; around, ★ 1859 ★ 1959 ★ / A CENTURY OF SECURITY
The edge is marked MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y.; two holes indicate that the medals was once mounted in a desktop holder.
The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. Its first headquarters were in the Equitable Life Building, near Wall Street, which opened its doors in 1875. In 1905, James Hazen Hyde, the founder's son and successor as President of the company, found himself at the center of the so called Hyde Costume Ball Scandal, a smear campaign manufactured by other Board members and designed to wrest control of the company from him. The scandal resulted in a Wall Street panic and an investigation of the entire insurance industry. Today, the company is known as AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company.
The medal represents a collaboration by two artists: its artistic obverse was designed and modeled by Sinnock while the text-oriented reverse was done by Roberts.
The circular medal measures 69.9mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York.
References: MACo 1958-043-001
