All Medals

The medal's obverse bears three busts, Brunelleschi, left, Michelangelo, facing, da Vinci, right. Around, · MVNICIPAL · ART · COMMISSION · / CITY · OF · LOS ANGELES; across bottom, BRUNELLESCHI / MICHELANGELO / LEONARDO DA VINCI; signed GLADYS LEWIS BUSH / 1946

The reverse is an empty field surrounded by heavily beaded border.

The circular medal measures 75.2mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1946-008

The obverse bears bust of Lincoln, r. (no button holes on lapel). Around, SALVATOR / PATRIAE.

The reverse bears wreath around circumference; ribbon running through wreath with inscription PUB. BY THE / AMERICAN / NUMISMATIC / AND / ARCHAEOLOGICAL / SOCIETY / NEW YORK 1866. In center field, IN / MEMORY / OF THE / LIFE ACTS AND DEATH / OF / ABRAHAM LINCOLN / BORN FEBRUARY 12. 1809. / DIED APRIL 15. 1865.

This medal was produced by J.S. and A.B. Wyons of London.  The American Numismatic Society authorized Wyons to produce sets of reduced size medals in a variety of materials and purchased 25 sets for resale to its members. These medals were not officially issued by the ANS but they are authorized reductions of the official medal.

The following sizes and materials are known to exist: 35mm, 16mm, and 7mm in bronze, silver and white metal. While no mintages are reported, all of the variants are rare.

References:   ANS 1R

The uniface emblem bears laurel-crowned, helmeted head in center field. Around, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

This little emblem is probably a trial cast that goes with Manship's designs for World War I decorations. It is a small, convex, shield that was probably designed to go in the center of a cross that would have been suspended from the devices pinned to the uniform or worn on a ribbon. The Smithsonian collection has a piece that shows a very similar device affixed to a cross.

The circular emblem measures 36.6mm in diameter.

References:   Cal FM-1978

The uniface plaquette bears harbor scene with windmill in background and seal of New Netherlands colony at left. Above, HOLLANDA SOCIETY;  under seal, SEAL - 1623 / PROVINCE OF NEW NETHERLAND; across bottom, JANUARY MCMXIV

The rectangular plaquette measures 81.8mm x 51mm and was struck in bronze by the Whitehead-Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey. No mintage is reported.

References:   HSoNY 1914

The medal's obverse bears head of of middle-aged, bearded Walt Whitman facing left. Around, OUT OF THE CRADLE ENDLESSLY ROCKING / 1819 WALT WHITMAN 1892; below truncation, P.©F.

The reverse bears singing thrush on flowering lilac. Below, Leaves of Grass / First Publication / 1855.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.

This medal was chosen as the 54th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1956. It was the second SOM commemorative medal and it was less well received than the first one. Members seemed willing to tolerate an occasional commemorative medal but they were wary of a trend. As one member wrote:

"somewhat disappointed in that it is another commemorative as opposed to strictly artistic subject (abstract, allegorical, etc.)."

The circular medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 635 pieces in bronze. The number of silver pieces is not reported but the edition was limited to 700.

References:   MACo 1930-001-54, SoM 54

The medal's obverse bears bust of Oskar Barnack facing three quarters right. Around bottom, OSKAR BARNACK - LEICA INVENTOR; at top right, 1879 / 1936; signed under truncation, (J / J. monogram)

The medal's reverse bears laurels and palm frond flanking LEICA / EXHIBIT / AWARD / OF / MERIT; inscribed, 19 / GAIL GORDON / PITTSBURGH / 38

The edge is marked with MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y. BRONZE

This medal celebrates the life of Oskar Barnack (1879-1936), the inventor of 35mm photography. Barnack was an avid hobby photographer who suffered from asthma. Due to his poor health he had trouble carrying the heavy and bulky camera equipment around with him, so he invented a more portable camera. The Leica brand was born in 1925 when his employer (Ernst Leitz) took a gamble and produced 1,000 cameras for sale to the public. They chose "Leica" as the brand name. The name was derived from Leitz camera.

On the hundredth anniversary of Barnack's birth, World Press Photo instituted the Oskar Barnack Award; this award is now administered by Leica Camera.

The medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1936-010