Goodyear Company

The uniface medallion bears large number 50. Around top, (GOOD YEAR logo); around bottom, FIFTY YEARS OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS

This is the 50 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product.

Dick Johnson's reference does not list this medallion under Chambellan, in fact it does not have a reference to it at all. Like all other Goodyear medallions, this one also is not edge-marked, so both an attribution to Chambellan and to the Medallic Art Company would be a bit tenuous. 

Both the lettering and the overall style make me doubt that the medallion was designed by Chambellan.  A query to the Goodyear Company has remained unanswered so far.  I will keep it with the  attribution to the Medallic Art Company and without an artist attribution until someone with better information can correct the record.

The circular medallion measures 101.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1947-023

The uniface medallion's obverse bears aproned man standing at little stove with boiling pot, stretching rubber between is hands. To left and around, 10 / YEAR - OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS; in exergue, DISCOVERY OF VULCANIZATION / OF RUBBER BY / CHARLES GOODYEAR / 1839; signed to right of stove, (RC monogram)

Charles Goodyear is usually credited with the modern discovery of vulcanization of rubber, though Thomas Hancock of Boston received a patent for vulcanized rubber 8 weeks before Goodyear did and the two were in bitter litigation at one point. Though losing the patent suit he had brought in England, he prevailed as a business man. In 1860 he traveled to New York to see his dying daughter but upon finding that he had arrived too late he collapsed and died shortly thereafter. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded by Frank Seiberling almost four decaades after his death.

This is the 10 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product.

The circular medallion measures 108mm and is struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1948-041-001

The uniface medal's obverse bears art deco style hand holding a chemical flask in front of plinth with winged steed. To left and around, 30 / YEAR OF - FRIENDLY RELATIONS; at lower right, GOOD (winged foot logo) YEAR / A LEADER IN / RESEARCH; signed at bottom right, (RC monogram)

This is the 30 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product. The design of this medal borrows heavily from another medal Chambellan designed in the same year. That medal was a generic Arts award medal that did not include the chemical vessels but shared the basic design with this medal.

The circular medal measures 108mm and is struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1948-041-005

The uniface medallion bears an abstract image reminiscent of an oscilloscope trace next to the number 5. Around, FIVE YEARS OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS IN THE SPACE AGE / · GOODYEAR ·

This is the 5 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product.

The circular medallion measures 108mm and is struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1948-041-010

The uniface medallion's obverse bears muscular, bare-armed and gloved worker, facing right, removing a tire from an open mold. From number at left, text running around upper edge, 25 - YEAR OF FRIENDLY SERVICE; in exergue, (GOODYEAR logo) / THE GREATEST NAME / IN RUBBER; signed to right of mold, (RC monogram)

This is the 25 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product. The mounting is done via a drilled, threaded pin that is affixed to the center of the medallion.

This medallion has Chambellan going back to one of his fortés: the depiction of industrial workers at their places of work.  Few American medallic sculptors did that as well as Chambellan.

Dick Johnson's reference does not list the set number for this medallion, so I follow his practice and list it with an x for unknown.

The circular medallion measures 102mm in diameter and is struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

At least my examplar of this medallion is silver-plated.  Whether that was done by the Medallic Art Company or whether the recipient performed an "upgrade" on the medallion is unknown.  For now, I list the one known variant as made of bronze until I receive more feedback from other collectors.

References:   MACo 1948-041-x

The uniface medallion bears two airships facing left and one balloon over stylized clouds at bottom. Around top, YEARS OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS; at left, large 35; at lower right, GOOD (logo) YEAR / LEADER IN / LIGHTER THAN / AIR CRAFT; signed at 5 o'clock, (RC monogram)

Based on my auction experience, this medallion is pretty rare.  It is also one of the signed medallions of the series so we can be sure that it was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan.

The circular medallion measures 108mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1948-041-x35

The uniface medallion bears barefoot tapper, facing left, harvesting latex from cut rubber tree. From large number at lower left, running around top, 20 - YEARS OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS; to right of tapper, FIRST / GOODYEAR / RUBBER / PLANTATION / 1916; signed between tapper's feed, (RC monogram)

Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of a quarter inch with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years old and six inches in diameter in order to be tapped for latex. Each night a rubber tapper must remove a thin layer of bark along a downward half spiral on the tree trunk. If done carefully and with skill, this tapping panel will yield latex for up to five hours. Then the opposite side will be tapped, allowing this side to heal over. The spiral allows the latex to run down to a collecting cup. The work is done at night or in the early morning before the day's temperature rises, so the latex will drip longer before coagulating and sealing the cut.

Charles Goodyear is usually credited with the modern discovery of vulcanization of rubber, though Thomas Hancock of Boston received a patent for vulcanized rubber 8 weeks before Goodyear did and the two were in bitter litigation at one point. Though losing the patent suit he had brought in England, he prevailed as a business man. In 1860 he traveled to New York to see his dying daughter but upon finding that he had arrived too late he collapsed and died shortly thereafter. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded by Frank Seiberling almost four decaades after his death.

This is the 20 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product.

The circular medallion measures 108mm and is struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1948-041-x

The uniface medallion bears world map centered on Atlantic ocean. From large number at left, around top, 40 - YEARS OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS; at bottom, (GOODYEAR logo) / WORLD WIDE

This is the 40 year version of Rene Chambellan's Goodyear series of medallions. All of these medallions came mounted to a wooden board to be hung in offices or shops that were selling Goodyear product.

References:   MACo 1948-041-007