Medals relating to Ships

The medal's obverse bears conjoined busts of Marie Depage and Edith Clavell, facing left, with laurel branch behind them. Around, MARIE DEPAGE - EDITH CAVELL; signed on truncation, A BONNETAIN / 1919

The reverse bears legend only, 1915 / REMEMBER

Marie Depage and Edith Cavell were heroines of World War I on the Allied side. Marie Depage was the wife of the prominent doctor Antoine Depage, who was a surgeon to the Belgian King.  In 1907 she founded a laicised non-denominational medical institute in 1907, the Berkendael Medical Institute (also known as L'École Belge d’Infirmières Diplômées), in Uccle near Brussels, with British Edith Cavell as head nurse.

Depage travelled to the US in January 1915 to raise funds for the L'Océan hospital. After raising $100,000 in a few weeks, she received news that her middle son Lucien would be joining her eldest son Pierre at the front, and decided to return to Belgium. She booked passage on the RMS Lusitania, leaving New York on 1 May 1915 for Liverpool via Queenstown in the south of Ireland. The ship was torpedoed by German submarine U-20 at about 2:10 pm on 7 May 1915, and rapidly sank. Depage assisted other passengers to board lifeboats, and treated some injured on the deck of the sinking vessel. As the ship sank, she became entangled in ropes and drowned, one of nearly 1,200 killed from almost 2,000 aboard.

Edith Cavell continued to work at the Berkendael Medical Institute, where she helped hundreds of allied soldiers escape.  Her humanitarian actions, which she freely confessed after her arrest, rendered the normal protections accorded to medical personnel void. She was court-martialed, sentenced to death for treason and, despite international pleas for mercy, executed by firing squad.

Both women were celebrated as martyrs and heroines and monuments as well as medals commemorate their lives and deaths.

The circular medal measures 58mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by Jules Fonson and Company. No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears frmale nurse, kneeling left, playing with naked baby lying on ground. Around, · BEVERLY HOSPITAL · / INCORPORATED - 1893; signed at lower right, Dallin / 1930

The reverse bears a one-mast sailing ship, sailing left to right. Around left top, HANDICAP RACE; engaved, CLASS II · 1929; in cartouche under ship,engraved to SKIPPER; in exergue, 7

The dates on this medal are somewhat confused.  Cyrus E. Dallin himself dates it 1930 on the medal and this is also the year that Dick Johnson's reference lists for this medal.  On the other hand, the reverse has the medal awarded to SKIPPER in 1929, the year before the medal was supposed to be designed. My best guess is that the medal was used as a belated award for a charitable boat race that actually took place the previous year.

The medal measures 57.2mm in diameter and was struck by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island, in what appears to be gold-plated bronze. No mintage is reported.

The obverse bears profile of Roosevelt, facing left. Around, in two lines, · FRANKLIN · DELANO · ROOSEVELT · - · 31ST · PRESIDENT · OF · THE · UNITED · STATES / · 1933 · · 1937 · - · JOHN · NANCE · GARNER · VICE · PRESIDENT; signed under truncation, PMANSHIP ©

The reverse bears U.S.S. Constitution heading left above winged female in flight, surrounded by beaded border. Around, : THOU · TOO · SAIL · ON · O · SHIP · OF · STATE : SAIL · ON · O · UNION · STRONG · AND · GREAT

Roosevelt's profile is modeled in such high relief that it took 12 strikes from the great presses at the Mint to render the finer details. Roosevelt himself apparently suggested the "Old Ironsides" motif for the reverse. Manship placed the winged female figure underneath to represent the modern day "Ship of State."

I do not have many U.S. Mint medals in my collection, but this one is really quite handsome. According to Joe Levine, many collectors believe this to be the handsomest of all bronze inauguration medals.

The medal measures 76.2mm (2 5/8in) in diameter and 4mm in thickness and was struck in bronze by the U.S. Mint. The mintage was 1,500. There are two much rarer variants of this medal that were struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The dies were actually produced there and MACo struck 50 pieces on its own presses using a 5.24mm thick planchet. Unfortunately, MACo could not match the Mint's quote of 85¢ per piece and had to send the dies to Philadelphia for production of the complete run. Of the 50 pieces struck by MACo one is reported to have been gold-plated, all others have a dark brown patina.

Many thanks to Joe Levine for additional information and to a collector who wishes to remain anonymous for sending me pictures of the Medallic Art variant.

References:   Marqusee 254, Murtha 332

The medallion's obverse bears a tall ship under full sail, half left, followed by other ship on horizon.  Below, FROM / W. R. GRACE & CO. / WILLIAM J. CASHiN / 1965 / IN RECOGNITION OF / 20 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE

The medallion's reverse bears the American double continent with shipping lines, surrounded by modern images including skyscrapers, freighter, industrial installations, plantations, and an airplane.

W.R. Grace and Company was founded in 1854, in Peru, by William Russell Grace, who left Ireland due to the potato famine, and traveled to South America with his father and family. He went first to Peru to work as a ship's chandler for the firm of Bryce and Company, to the merchantmen harvesting guano, used as a fertilizer and gunpowder ingredient.

His brother Michael joined the business and in 1865 the company name was changed to Grace Brothers & Co. The company set up head office operations in New York City in 1865. Working in fertilizer and machinery, the company was formally chartered in 1872, and incorporated in 1895.

The circular medallion measures 88.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

References:   MACo 1937-019

The medal's obverse bears portrait of elderly FDR, facing right. Around, FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT - FOURTH INAUGURATION 1945; signed over shoulder at left, JO DAVIDSON

The reverse bears allegorical ship under full sail. Around, THOU TOO SAIL ON O SHIP OF STATE - SAIL ON O UNION STRONG AND GREAT

The circular medal measures 44.4mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the U.S. Mint. I do not know the medal's mintage.

The medal's obverse bears two kneeling female figures shaking hands across a watery chasm; left figure holds shield emblazoned with Stars and Stripes, right figure shield with Union Jack. In background, Statue of Liberty and Mayflower. Across chasm, 1620 - MAYFLOWER - 1957; signed at bottom, P. VINCZE

The medal's reverse bears Puritan family and stevedores loading trunks, ship with reefed sails in background. Around, "THUS OUT OF SMALL BEGINNINGS GREATER THINGS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED" / BRAD FORD; in exergue, 1620; signed at right top of exergue, P. VINCZE

The circular medal was struck in bronze, silver, and gold.

Many thanks to Bob Slwsky for allowing me to use the images from his eBay store.

The medal's obverse bears portrait of John Paul Jones, facing left; ship under full sail to his right. Around, · THE · HALL · OF · FAME · FOR · GREAT · AMERICANS AT NEW · YORK · UNIVERSITY · ; thirteen stars underneath; across left, JOHN / PAUL / JONES / 1747 / 1792; signed and dated at bottom, (ML monogram) 1968 ©

The reverse bears Jones holding cutlass on deck of sinking ship, three boarders swinging from rigging to his right.

This medal is the 53rd issue of the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at New York University medal series.

The medal was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York.  The bronze variants exist in large 76.7mm and small 44mm diameters, the silver variant only in the small diameter. No mintages are reported.

References:   MACo 1963-001-053, GANYU 53

The medal's obverse bears view of St. David's Lighthouse flanked by two triangular flags.

The medal's reverse bears map view of Bermuda with compass rose at bottom right. Above, BERMUDA / RACE, (inscribed) 1976; signed at bottom, J. CALABRO SC.

The Newport Bermuda Race, widely known as the Bermuda Race is a 635 nautical miles (1175 km) sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the island of Bermuda sailed in even-numbered years. It is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race.

References:   MACo 1972-039

The medal's obverse bears a fish, a schooner under full sail and a sea gull in flight. Around edge, GLOUCESTER MASSACHUSETTS; signed under fish, G. Aarons 1973

The medal's reverse bears painter's palette with brushes, writer's book, and sculptor's mallet. Around top, 350TH ANNIVERSARY; at bottom, 1623 - 1973

Gloucester is a coastal city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts. That beautiful part of Massachusetts has traditionally attracted artists who had their summer studios there or lived there year round. Aarons was no exception to this trend. For many years he had studios in Brookline and Gloucester and, as a long-time resident, was honored with the task of creating the commemorative town medal that combines the coastal and artistic elements of the community.

The medal measures 38.1mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company.

Many thanks to Fred Beihl (www.StewartstownCoinShop.com, 717-993-3163) who sent me the images and measurements.

References:   MACo 1972-099

The medal's obverse bears compass rose dividing medal into four segments, each of which contains a different tall ship; waves around. Bottom left segment contains elaborate "Oceanus" and artists (JOV monogram) / © signature.

The reverse bears calendar panel surrounded by hippocamus, sea horses and sea shell. In sea shell, 1979

The ships depicted all have significance in American history. They are the Santa Maria, one of the ships that brought Columbus to the New World; the Mayflower, one of the ships which brought the first Pilgrims to America; the Constitution, the oldest active service navy ship in the world; and a Clipper ship, representative of the China trade fleet that generated so much wealth.

This is the fourth issue and in the Medallic Art Company's calendar medal series.

The circular medal measures 76.2mm in diameter and was struck in bronze, silver, and gold-plated bronze.  No mintages are reported.

The edition limits of the silver and gold-plated variants are also not known to me at this point but based on the fact that the medals are marked with three digit serial numbers I would judge it to be 700 or fewer.

References:   MACo 1978-075, Cal MA-1979