All Medals

The obverse bears vital male bust right, cartwheel border with incuse FAITH IN MAN AND HIS WORKS; signed on right, Avard / Fairbanks / Sc / 1929

The reverse bears sculptor-craftsman gazing at bank. Around, THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK - PORTLAND OREGON; under bank, A POWER / LIKE THAT OF A / MIGHTY GENIE WHO / STANDS READY TO / BUILD INDUSTRIES / AND TEMPLES / AT THE CALL OF / MAN'S WILL.

This medal is a beautiful if misplaced expression of optimism in the nation's banks. It was issued in 1929, the year of Black Tuesday, the gigantic stock market crash that signaled the beginning the Great Depression. American faith in a better future took a severe beating and it was a long time before such unbridled optimism would reappear in medallic art.

This medal measures 70.2mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1929-055

The obverse bears a nude boy with a fishing rod who just caught a little fish and the the first half of an Oliver Wendell Holmes quotation: "OH WHAT ARE THE PRIZES WE PERISH TO WIN."

The reverse bears a jumping trout with the second half of the quote: "TO THE FIRST LITTLE SHINER WE CAUGHT WITH A PIN."

In the artists own words:

"Beneath these whimsical words of the poet runs a vein of seriousness. I have not been unmindful of that undercurrent. A boy fishing is a common sight. But a boy's hopes, aspirations, struggles - these are the things that build the world's epics."

This medal was chosen as the 9th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. It measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 1,207 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-009, Marqusee 3, SoM 9

References:   BG 19

The medal's obverse shows Joseph dressed in Egyptian style with bushels of grain and baskets of fruit at his feet; sun to his left. At top left, JOSEPH; signed in exergue, © E. WEISTROP - 1969

The reverse bears Star of David, symbols and names from all twelve medals. In center, THE / TWELVE / TRIBES OF / ISRAEL

Joseph was Jacob's eleventh-born and favorite son, the first he had with Rachel. Joseph gained his brothers' envy and hate because he was Jacob's favorite and because of a dream he shared with them, in which he allegorically saw them submitting to him.  They conspired against him and sold him into slavery, where he eventually became the ruler of all Egypt. Jacob's blessing on Joseph whom he likened to a bull and a wild colt exceeded that of all his brothers. As the comment for this medal quotes:

"May all those blessings be a crown upon the head of Joseph... and a chain upon him that was the ruler of Egypt."

This is the eleventh medal in Elizabeth Weistrop's Twelve Tribes of Israel series. The circular medal measures 43mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintages are reported.

References:   MACo 1969-100-002, TToI 11

The uniface medal's obverse depicts a young woman sketching. Around, SCHOOL ART LEAG-UE OF NEW YORK CITY; on foot rest, FOR MERIT; in exergue, 19 (JF monogram) 15

The edge bears maker's mark MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y.

The medal is also known as the John W. Alexander Medal. Alexander (1856-1915) was a painter and illustrator who died in 1915 and was commemorated by this medal.

The medal measures 68mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its mintage is not reported.

References:   Baxter 155, MACo 1915-002, Marqusee 154

References:   MACo 1980-155, Cal MA-1981

References:   HSoNY 1918

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

The medal's obverse bears two giant LNG tankers on the ocean.

The reverse bears islands of Japan and Indonesia with labeled routes of tanker ships.  Around, ENERGY TRANSPORTATION CORPORATION / AMERICAN LEGION MERCHANT MARINE AWARD; ship names LNG AQUARIUS, LNG ARIES, LNG CAPRICORN, LNG GEMINI, LNG LEO, LNG LIBRA, LNG TAURUS, LNG VIRGO; dated at bottom, 1985

The antecedent to the modern ETG companies was Marine Transport Lines, then the world's fifth largest shipping company, sold in order to form the first of the modern ETG Companies, Energy Transportation Group, Inc., in 1972. ETG financed, constructed and operated a US$1 billion fleet of eight 125kcm LNG ships which at its peak moved annually over 15% of all LNG produced in the world. ETG shipping companies pioneered modern ship and port safety techniques, operating procedures, certifications and insurance concepts for LNG shipping still used today.

During its 25-year Indonesia-to-Japan trades, ETG ships safely delivered over 3,000 cargoes without any cargo loss. This record represented the most LNG shipped worldwide by a single fleet.

The circular medal measures 76.5mm and was struck in a base metal. No mintage is reported.

The medallion's obverse bears portrait of John Singer Sargent facing right. Around, JOHN S SARGENT; signed and dated under truncation, · PAUL MANSHIP / 1923

The reverse bears sword-wielding Perseus, facing right, holding Medusa's head over her decapitated body, Pegasus rearing in background. Around top, · PEGASUS · LIBERATED · ; around bottom, · P · M · TO · J · S · S · 1923 ·

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury and an unerring eye for his subjects' character. He was born in Venice and spent much of his life as an expat in Paris and London.

Despite living on a different continent and being 30 years older than Paul Manship, the two artists were connected by a close friendship. They first met during one of Sargent's visits to the United States. Denman Ross of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts invited Manship to a luncheon with the visiting Sargent and the two artists connected. Manship admired the famous painter and Sargent apparently saw a kindred spirit in the much younger man.  When Manship moved his family to Europe in the early 1920s he spent a summer working in his friend's London studio.

Sargent sketched his friend Paul and Manship immortalized his friend John on this medallion. Manship even named his third child, his son John Paul, after his close friend.

The circular medallion measures 89mm in diameter and was cast in bronze. It is not known how many pieces were produced.

References:   Murtha 158