All Medals

References:   ANS 48

References:   Cal HM-2002

The medal's obverse bears kneeling archer with drawn bow, facing right; sun at his feet, stars above, cape flowing over his left shoulder. Signed at lower left, (GSC monogram)

The reverse bears a view of of the Municipal Building of Springfield, Massachusetts over two branches of laurel and oak. Around top, · 1636 · SPRINGFIELD · 1852; across, TO / COMMEMORATE / THE DEDICATION OF / THE MVNICIPAL BVILDINGS / OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD / · MASSACHVSETTS ON THE / EIGHTH AND NINTH DAYS OF DECEMBER / IN THE YEAR OF OVR LORD · NINE- /TEEN HVNDRED AND THIRTEEN; under buildings, 1913

This medal represents an interesting collaboration: Gail Corbett designed the medal's obverse and Felix Weil, one of the founders of the Medallic Art Company, the reverse.

This circular medal measures 63.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

Many thanks to the Numismatic department of the Yale University Art Gallery for their generosity and support in granting me access to this medal for research.

References:   MACo 1913-009

The medal's obverse bears heavily dressed pipeline worker in front of three panels of industrial imagery: pump stations at top, pipeline in middle, tanks and harbor with oil tanker at bottom. Signed at bottom, SVENSON

The medal's reverse bears legend only. Around and across, TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE / COMPLETION / & / START-UP / JUNE 20, 1977

The Alyeska Pipeline represents a triumph of engineering in the harshest weather conditions.  It connects the oil fields near Prudhoe Bay to the harbor at Valdez.  Constructed after all other attempts to transport the oil had failed, including specially equipped ice-breaking tankers, the pipeline is owned and operated by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.

The circular medal was struck in bronze by the Metalarts Company of Rochester, New York.

The uniface medal bears bude female seen from behind. Above, CIBA; at bottom, LOCORTEN® / (FLUMETHASONE PIVALATE)

Ciba stands for Chemische Industrie Basel. It was formed as a dye producer in Switzerland in 1859 and eventually merged with two other chemical/pharmaceutical giants, namely Geigy and Sandoz, to form the multinational giant Novartis. 

Locorten was a drug developed to treat infections of the ear canal.

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

References:   MACo 1970-035

References:   MACo 1916-006

The medal's obverse bears stylized compass rose and Greek cross dividing the heads of European (NW), Asian (NE), American Indian (SW), and African (SE). Around, PROCLAIMING LIBERTY EVERY ONE TO HIS BROTHER

The reverse bears a northern polar projection of the world map, resembling the UN emblem. Around, NO MAN IS AN ISLAND ENTIRE OF ITSELF - EVERY MAN IS A PIECE OF THE CONTINENT; at left, JOHN DONNE 1575-1631; at right, © M.H.

Malvina Hoffman traveled the globe for several years to create a display for the Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition in 1933-34. The plan was to make precise sculptures of all "The Races of Mankind." Malvina Hoffman ended up casting 97 bronze sculptures for the exhibit, which remained a major attraction for the Field Museum for many decades.

This design by Hoffman was chosen as the 51st issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series and picked up on her earlier work. She wrote in her "From the Artist"

"The thought prompting the design and quotations on this medal is the ever timely problem: how the races of the world can learn to understand one another."

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 722 pieces in bronze. The number of pieces in silver is not reported but the edition was limited to 700.

References:   MACo 1930-001-051, SoM 51

The uniface medal bears mountain goat facing right within bold geometric border.  Around top, CAPRICORNUS; in small exergue at bottom, © MACO 1967

Chambellan's Zodiac medals were issued more than a decade after his death and are probably based on designs he made in the early 1930s when he was working on the RKO Roxy Theater.  The 1960s saw renewed interest in astrology and the signs of the zodiac arising in part from the counter-cultural hippie movement and its subsequent adoption into mainstream culture.

Capricorn is the tenth astrological sign in the zodiac, originating from the constellation of Capricornus. It spans the 270–300th degree of the zodiac, corresponding to celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the sun transits this area from December 22 to January 19 each year, and under the sidereal zodiac, the sun transits the constellation of Capricorn from approximately January 16 to February 16.

In astrology, Capricorn is considered an earth sign, negative sign, and one of the four cardinal signs. Capricorn is said to be ruled by the planet Saturn. Its symbol is based on the Sumerians' primordial god of wisdom and waters, Enki, with the head and upper body of a goat and the lower body and tail of a fish. Later known as Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian mythology, Enki was the god of intelligence (gestú, literally "ear"), creation, crafts; magic; water, seawater and lakewater.

The circular medal measures 69.7mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1967-151-001