All Medals

The uniface plaquette bears winged female figure, holding up burning torch in one hand and scroll with laurel branch in the other; floating above city skyline. Across top, THE ASSOCIATED BUSINESS / PAPERS AWARD / FOR / OUTSTANDING / EDITORIAL / SERVICE; in exergue, AWARDED TO

Associated Business Papers, Inc. was created on March 18, 1916, when the Federation of Trade Press Associations adopted a new constitution at their conference, held in Pittsburgh that year. After the reorganization, membership comprised 125 national and local publications that together represented just over half of the business done by all legitimate trade and technical papers in the United States.

The award plaquette measures 45.4mm x 75.9mm and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1928-039

References:   ANS 27, Baxter 248, Marqusee 54

The medal's obverse bears barefoot, aproned metalworker, holding chasing hammer and graver, kneeling on dais in dynamic pose, facing right; anvil to his left. Around top, THE ROBBINS COMPANY; on dais, CRAFTSMEN / IN METAL

The reverse bears legend flanked by laurel branches: COMPLIMENTS / OF / THE ROBBINS CO. / ATTLEBORO / MASSACHUSETTS / ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES / BADGES - SOUVENIRS / ~ MEDALS ~ / COLLEGE AND SCHOOL / JEWELRY

Medals or plaquettes made to showcase and advertise a maker's services were called "storecards" and quite common in the first half of the 20th century. This is probably the nicest storecard  in my posession and it is full of ambiguity.  The young metal worker appears to be kneeling in revery, but in a pose that could also be seen as a dynamic leap. His left hand holding the graver is held out straight whereas the right hand holding the chasing hammer dangles relaxed behind him. I find myself intrigued by the design.

The circular medal measures 79.3mm in diameter and was strucki n bronze by the Robbins Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts. Neither artist nor mintage or date are known to me and I would appreciate any additional information.

The medal's obverse bears portrait of Louis Schoenfeld, facing left. Around top, LOVIS SCHOENFELD - MDCCCXL - MCMX ·; signed to right of neck, M.P. NIELSEN / FECIT

The reverse bears laurel branch along left edge. Across, NOV. 30TH / · 1840 / - · + · - / NOV. 18TH / · 1910 / - · + · -; around bottom right, JOS. MAYER INC.

Louis Schoenfeld (1840-1910) was a Seattle businessman who founded the Standard Furniture Company in 1864.  Originally from Virginia City, Nevada, he relocated family and business to Seattle in 1887.

The circular medal measures 34.9mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by Joseph Mayer, Inc. of Seattle, Washington.

The medal's obverse bears a portrait of Goodnow, facing right. Signed on truncation, M. Miller sc.

The reverse bears the Johns Hopkins University seal framed by ivy. Across lower half, TO / FRANK · JOHNSON · GOODNOW / PRESIDENT · 1914-1929 / FROM · HIS · COLLEAGUES / JUNE · 11 · 1929

Frank Johnson Goodnow (1859-1939) was an educator and legal scholar. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Amherst College and Columbia Law School. After graduation he was offered a position in the School of Political Science on the condition that he prepare himself with a year of study abroad.  He met that requirement by enrolling at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques in Paris and at the University of Berlin. After teaching for more than two decades, assisting with the drafting of a new charter for Greater New York, and drafting two consitutions for China, he became president of Johns Hopkins University in 1914. For the next fifteen years he worked on improving Johns Hopkins' financial position and finally retired in 1929.

The circular medal measures 69.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1929-069

References:   Murtha 467

References:   MACo 1971-013-006, WR 6

The obverse bears an elegant beauty, one hand toying with string of pearls; above, APHRODITE; in lower right, MCM (circled JF monogram) XXXII.

The reverse bears a relay runner passing the torch to another. In upper left, SWIFT RUN- / NERS; in exergue, JF © Sc.

Flanagan's career had peaked at this point and he reused older works for his medal. The obverse is based on a 1904 marble medallion which graced August Belmont's Knickerbocker Hotel in Manhattan. The reverse was originally created for a clock that was installed in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress in 1902.

This medal was chosen as the 6th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. It measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 1,494 pieces in bronze and 125 in silver. The bronzes exist in many patina variants and even the silvers exist in two variants: one from the original silver run in the 1970's and one from a telemarketing promotion in 1993.

References:   Baxter 163, MACo 1930-001-006, Marqusee 155, SoM 6

The medal's obverse bears bust of Abraham Jacobi facing left. Around top, A · JACOBI · MD; around bottom, · M C M X · ; signed under truncation, MOWBRAY CLARKE

The reverse bears wreath and legend, · PRESENTED · / · IN · CELEBRATION · OF · HIS · / · FIFTY · YEARS · OF · SERVICE · / AT / · MT · SINAI · HOSPITAL · / · BY · THE · ASSOCIATED · / ALUMNI · / MDCCCLX / MCMX ·

Dr. Abraham Jacobi (1830-1919) was a German physician and pioneer of pediatrics, opening the first children's clinic in the United States. After studying medicine in Germany, he was involved in the 1848 revolution and served time in jail before leaving his home country for England in 1853. In exile, he lived with Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels before setting sail for the U.S. in 1854.

To date, he is the only foreign-born president of the American Medical Association. He helped found the American Journal of Obstetrics and is regarded as the Father of American Pediatrics.

The circular medal measures 50.9mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1910-003