All Medals

The medal's obverse bears astronaut on spacewalk, connected to capsule by coiling umbilical. Around, THe CONQUEST OF SPACE; signed at lower right, Calle/DiLorenzo © 1971

The reverse bears male figure with unraveling wings, looking backwards at massive sun with rays covering entire background. Around top, MAN'S DREAM

The circular medal measures 63.5mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1971-086

The galvano's obverse bears bust of Earl B. Barnes, a director of Medallic Art Company, facing left. Above, · EARL · B · BARNES ·; signed and dated at lower right, (JSR monogram) / 1935

In the late 1930's, John Curlee Trees, the owner of Medallic Art Company, engaged John R. Sinnock, then working as engraver at the U.S. Mint, to design five portrait medals of MACo's Board of Directors. Medallic Art Company usually created at least one large galvano for each medal they produced. This plaque comes from the family of one of the Directors. Whether all Directors received one or whether this is a unique piece is hard to establish but I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has another one or can provide additional information.

The galvano plaque measures approximately 305mm (12") in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

The obverse bears reclining stag before flowering plants. Signed in exergue at right, G K LATHROP

The reverse bears bird, possibly a crossbill, perched on cone, working to extract seeds from it. Around, BROOKGREEN / GARDENS

This was the second of the prestigious Brookgreen Gardens member medals, issued in 1974.

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

References:   BG 2

The medal's obverse bears pelican (?) sitting on red cross shield; cross in background.

The reverse bears legend. Around, CROIX ROUGE DE BELGIQUE; across, RECONNAISSANCE / AUX / DONNEURS DE SANG

This medal was awarded to blood donors by the Belgian Red Cross. It exists in a French and a Flemish version that differ in the language of the inscription on the reverse.

The circular medal measures 50.2mm in diameter and was struck in bronze. Neither artist nor mintage nor mint are known to me and I would appreciate any additional information.

The plaquette's obverse bears knight with cross-emblazoned tunic, sheathed sword and shield held strapped to left arm, standing in door frame, shielding huddled women and children from billowing smoke or clouds in background. Signed in top right corner, Jean Droit

The reverse bears legend and dedication, CROIX ROUGE / DE / BELGIQUE / (inscribed) MR. A. PIRON

According to the artist's French Wikipedia entry, this is one of two iconic images he created for the Red Cross. This one symbolizes the perfect qualities of the Red Cross helper: the knight without fear and beyond reproach.

The rectangular plaquette measures 57.3mm x 66.3mm and was struck in bronze. No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears bust of Jerry Land facing right in circular center field. Around, THE VICE ADMIRAL "JERRY" LAND / MEDAL / (star) (star) (star) THE SOCIETY OF (star) (star) (star) / NAVAL ARCHITECTS AND MARINE ENGINEERS

The reverse bears organization's logo flanked by two dolphins over cartouche and streamer. In cartouche, FOR OUTSTANDING / ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE / MARINE FIELD; signed between folds of streamer, PM

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers was founded in 1893 as a U.S. engineering society.  Today, the group has members in almost every seafaring and offshore energy nation and has various international chapters known as sections.

The medal was named for Vice Admiral Emory S. "Jerry" Land and is awarded for "Outstanding Accomplishment in the Marine Field." Awardees need not be members of the organization. It has been awarded annually since its inception in 1952 when it was awarded to Vice Admiral Land himself.

Emory S. Land (1879-1971) was an officer in the United States Navy, noted for his contributions to naval architecture, particularly in submarine design. Notable assignments included serving as Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair during the 1930s, and as Chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his work on submarine design and construction and for work in the war zone.

The hexagonal medal measures 50.7mm x 72.7mm, including the loop. It was struck in gold-plated bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1952-009

The medal's obverse bears bust of Washington Allston, facing right.  Around left and right, WASHINGTON - ALLSTON; signed at bottom, P. P. DUGGAN DEL.  C. C. WRIGHT SC.

The reverse bears standing Columbia with American shield, crowning two artists, one holding sculptor's mallet, the other painter's pallet and brushes, on step below. Around top, AMERICAN - ART-UNION; signed and dated on steps, P.P. DUGGAN DEL. / 1847 - C.C. WRIGHT SC.

Washington Allston (1779-1843) was a famous American painter and poet who was born in Waccamaw River, South Carolina. After traveling a lot, he spent most of his later life in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He is buried in Harvard Square. A western suburb of Boston, Allston, is named after him.

This was the first medal in the American Art-Union medal series.

The circular medal measures 64.2mm in diameter and was struck in bronze at the U.S. Mint. No mintage is reported.

Many thanks to eBayer Pat who granted me permission to use the images of the silver variant and to Tom Rogahn who pointed them out to me.

References:   AAU 1, Storer 1860, Marqusee 409

The medal's obverse bears portrait of Hill facing three-quarters left. Around, MEMORIAL / JAMES JEROME HILL

The reverse bears oak wreath around inscription, SEPTEMBER 16TH / 1838 / MAY 29TH / 1916 / "ONE OF THE / WORLD'S GREATEST / BUILDERS"

James Jerome Hill (1838-1916) was born in Ontario. Blind in one eye due to a childhood bow and arrow accident, forced to leave school due to the death of his father, he  amoved to Kentucky where he learned bookkeeping while working as a clerk.  He started working for himself in the 1860's and gathered a lot of experience in the area of shipping and fuel supply. In 1870 he started a steam boat company and by 1879 he had navigated it into a highly profitable local monopoly. In the same year, a big bet Hill and his business partners had made three years earlier came to fruition when the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company formed from the assets of the bankrupt St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, with Hill as the general manager.

From here on Hill relentlessy expanded his railroad empire, through construction and acquisition. He personally surveyed the track for his own transcontinental railway, which was the only private transcontinental company to turn a profit. At the time of his death, his networth was an estimated $53 million, $2.5 billion in today's dollars.

The circular medal measures 76.3mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Whitehead-Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey. Neither mintage nor artist are reported.

The obverse bears a bust (l.) of Richard Byrd wearing aviator's goggles emerging from a bank of clouds. Across, COMMEMORATING THE CONQUEST OF THE POLES / BY REAR ADMIRAL RICHARD E. BYRD / AND HIS ASSOCIATES / PRESENTED BY / THE AERONAUTICAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF AMERICA; along bottom edge, MAY 9 1926 - NOVEMBER 29 1929.

The reverse bears eagle perched on airborne Ford tri-motor; polar scene below, Signed at bottom right, KILENYI.

The bronze medal measures 82.4mm (3.25") in diameter and was struck by Whitehead & Hoag. During the presentation banquet one gold medal was given to Admiral Byrd, his associates received silver medals, and all other guests received bronze medals. The mintage is 1,000 pieces in bronze, 65 in silver-plate and 1 in 10kt gold. 

According to Harry Waterson, the undisputed Kilenyi specialist, a piece in sterling silver might exist. It might be that an initial production run or a sample piece was struck in sterling silver but then, due to the Great Depression, subsequent pieces were struck in much less cheaper silver-plated base metal.  Any updates on this question would be highly welcome.

References:   Marqusee 217

The obverse bears portrait of Joan of Arc in armor facing left, holding sword hilt up like a cross, face raised in prayer or contemplation. Around, :: HOMAGE ::+:: TO :+: THE :+: MAID :+: OF :+: FRANCE ::; signed at bottom, A - H

The reverse displays gothic banner of Joan of Arc with other pennants fluttering behind. Around, JOAN OF ARC PARK DEDICATED JANUARY 6, 1919.

This medal was the 39th issue of the American Numismatic Society. Miss Hyatt was chosen by the ANS to execte this beautiful and sensitive medal because she had created the distinctive statue of Joan of Arc on Riverside Drive, overlooking the Hudson River. The Vatican canonized Joan of Arc in the same year, therefore the medal was doubly appropriate and not just representative of the park dedication ceremony.

The medal measures 65mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 1 piece in gold, 74 pieces in silver, 119 pieces in bronze and 1 piece in lead.

Many thanks to the Numismatic Department of the Yale University Art Gallery for their generosity and assistance in making the silver variant of this medal available for research.

References:   ANS 39, MACo 1918-008, Marqusee 206