All Medals

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

The medal's obverse bears Berghoff's logo in center. Across, Berghoff / 18 - 87 / BEER

The reverse bears view of brewery. In exergue, BERGHOFF BREWING CORPORATION / 1025 GRANT AVENUE / FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

The Berghoff Brewing Corporation was founded in 1887 by Hermann Berghoff and his three brothers, Henry, Hubert, and Gustav. Within just three years they ramped up production from 12,000 barrels to 90,000 barrels per year. Their lager beer was known by its slogan "A Real German Brew" and received high acclaim at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. With World War I and the accompanying wide-spread anti-German sentiment, the company changed its slogan to "A Real Honest Brew."  By the 1950s the company's sales were flat and the brewery was in desperate need of modernization to stay competitive. In 1954 the family decided to sell everything but the brand name to the Falstaff Brewing Company of St. Louis. The brand name was sold separately to the Walter Brewing Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  Walter still brews and sells beer under the Berghoff name today.

Rene Chambellan seems to have had a very good working relationship with brewing companies.  In addition to this medal, he designed commemorative medals for the Schaefer and Pabst companies.

The medal measures 69.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1937-001

The medal's obverse bears Saint Bernard, facing left. Above, SAINT BERNARD; below, AKC RECOGNITION 1885; signed at left, R. J. BROWN

The reverse bears Westminster Kennel Club's coat of arms. Around, THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL FOUNDATION

This is one of four medal issued by the Westminster Kennel Foundation featuring different dog breeds.  The other three are Poodle, Beagle, and Irish Setter. The date on the obverse represents the year in which the breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The circular medal measures 63.4mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.  No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1973-208-004

The plaquette bears seal of New Amsterdam and New Amsterdam with New Amsterdam harbor scene as background. Under seal, SEAL OF AMSTERDAM IN NEW NETHERLAND 1654; under harbor scene at right, THE WATER GATE / FOOT OF WALL STREET 1679; across bottom, HOLLAND SOCIETY / JANVARY · · · · · MCMXIII

The rectangular plaquette measures 82.8mm x 51mm and was struck in bronze by the Whitehead-Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey. No mintage is reported.

References:   HSoNY 1913

References:   BG 13

The medal's obverse bears a standing boy scout in 1940s uniform signaling with flags and a kneeling scout with binoculars. Around, BUILDING TOWARD UNITY / YOUTH OF THE SCOUT WORLD; to lower left, lamp on stack of books; below, KG monogram ©.

The reverse bears a defiant eagle striding left over chains.

Karl Gruppe wrote in the brochure accompanying the medal:

"As this medal is issued, the threat of war is still upon us. The theme I have chosen is not peace but 'Building Toward Unity.' [...] The reverse shows an eagle freeing himself from chains of bondage. A symbol of America to Americans, a symbol of freedom to to people of other lands."

This medal was chosen as the 46th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1952.

The circular medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported mintage is 762 pieces in bronze and an unknown number of pieces (from an edition limited to 700) in silver.  This is also one of the medals that had one side, in this case the reverse, used in a uniface medal produced by Towle, Inc.

References:   MACo 1930-001-046, SoM 46

References:   ANS 26

The uniface medal bears bust of Captain Arthur Rostron facing right. Around, S·S·TITANIC (laurel branch) APRIL·15·1912 (laurel branch) S·S·CARPATHIA / CAPTAIN · ROSTRON; signed to left and right of bust, © - SPICER·/SIMSON

The edge is marked with a faint "41"

On April 15, 1912, Arthur Henry Rostron (1869-1940) was a captain for the Cunard Line when his ship, the ocean liner RMS Carpathia, received a distress signal from the White Star liner RMS Titanic. The Titanic had struck an iceberg and was sinking rapidly.  Rostron immediately ordered his ship to race for the sinking Titanic.  His engineering crew coaxed the Carpathia's engines up to 17.5 knots, 3.5 knots over its rated speed. He took a huge risk racing through dense ice at night but he knew what was at stake when a major liner was sinking in freezing water in the middle of the Atlantic.  In the 3.5 hours which it took to arrive at the Titanic's radioed position he gave 23 orders that would later prove to have saved lives. His crew prepared blankets, food and drinks and ended up rescuing 710 survivors from the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

Rostron was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Thanks of Congress, the American Cross of Honor, and medals by the Liverpool and New York Shipwreck Societies.  Rostron would eventually rise to the position of Commodore of the Cunard Line and served as a British Naval Officer during World War I.

The medal was privately commissioned by Titanic survivors Margaret Brown and Dennis Telluride.

The circular medal measures 51mm. Only 500 pieces were struck in bronze.

The medal's obverse bears standing Athena/Minerva holding shield with one hand and oil lamp on pedestal with the other. In exergue, NATURAE SPECIES RATIOQUE

The medal's reverse bears six portrait busts, each surrounded by a wreath and labeled with last name: LAPHAM / PECKHAM / CHAMBERLIN / HOY / IRVING / ALLEN; below, THE WISCONSIN ACADEMY OF / SCIENCES ARTS AND LETTERS / 1870 - 1920; signed in bottom right corner, LC

The Latin phrase on the obverse translates to "Nature and her law." Athena, or Minerva in her Roman incarnation, is the goddess of wisdom and together with the oil lamp symbolizes the quest for knowledge and understanding.

References:   MACo 1920-003

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