Gorham Co.

The medallion bears portrait of Thornton Floyd Turner, facing left. Around upper left, + THORNTON FLOYD TURNER +; signed at lower right, HUFF

The reverse bears the Turner family's crest.

Thornton Floyd Turner (1865-1919) was a clergyman and New York City architect. He practiced architecture from 1890 to 1900 and was a member of the New York Society of Beaux Arts Architects as well as the St. Nicholas Society of New York. After 1912, he was Rector at St. Peter's Church in Bennington, Vermont.

It is unclear to whom the "Huff" signature refers.

The circular medallion measures 99mm in diameter.  No mintage is reported.

The medallion's obverse bears bust of Washington, left, with fasces to his rght, surrounded by thirteen stars. Around top, · GEORGE · WASHINGTON · ; across center, · PATER · - PAT-RIAE · / · M·DC·C·L - XX-XIX · ; signed under truncation, PHILIP · MARTINY · MODELER · DESIGN · AND · / COPYRIGHT · BY · AVGVSTVS · SAINT · GAVDENS ·

The reverse bears spread eagle with American shield on chest at top and coat of arms of New York at bottom left, within ring of stars. Across, TO · COM-MEMORATE / THE · INAV-GVRATION / OF · GEORGE · WASHINGTON / AS · FIRST · PRESIDENT · OF · AMERICA / AT · NEW · YORK · APRIL · XXX / · M·D·C·C·LXXXIX · / BY · AVTHORITY · OF / THE · COMMITTEE / ON · CELEBRATION / NEW · YORK · APRIL / · XXX · /  ·M·D·C·C·LXXXIX ·

The medallion was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and modeled by his assistant, Philip Martiny. Richard Watson Gilder, a close personal friend of St. Gaudens and member of the medal selection committee, called it "the first medal of real artistic value in this country."

The circular medallions typically measure between 112mm and 116mm in diameter and were cast in bronze, silver and gold by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island.

The silver medallions had a reported mintage of ten but only seven are still known to exist. Only one piece was produced in gold and originally owned by J.P. Morgan.

Many thanks to Stacks Bowers Galleries for granting me permission to use pictures of the silver variant.  All rights to the image remain with Stacks Bowers Galleries.

References:   Marqusee 346

The medal's obverse bears standing Columbia with cornucopia in her arm, her cloak fluttering dramatically behind her; at her feet, winged cherub bearing sign labeled INDUSTRY; winged wheel at lower left; exposition building in background. Around upper left, ATLANTA - GEORGIA / U-S-A; signed around lower right, PH MARTINY - SC · NY ·

The reverse bears eagle at top, palm frond at left and cotton branch at right. Across, COTTON STATES / AND INTERNATIONAL / EXPOSITION / AWARDED TO / (cartouche engraved I. V. Joyce) / ATLANTA / GEORGIA / U · S · A / MDCCCXCV

The Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895 was held at the in Atlanta, Georgia. Nearly 800,000 visitors attended the event. The exposition was designed to promote the region to the world and showcase products and new technologies as well as to encourage trade with Latin America.

This is probably one of my all-time favorite exposition medals. It is modeled in extremely deep relief and is a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts design.

The circular medal measures 57.4mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island. 

References:   Baxter 92, Marqusee 258

The plaquette bears seated female figure, l., holding vase in both hands; to her left, view of Gorham factory in Providence, Rhode Island; above two cherubs flanking Gorham stamps consisting of lion, anchor and Gothic letter G. In exergue, GORHAM MFG CO. / PROVIDENCE R. I.; signed at right bottom, E. E. CODMAN Sc

This handsome little plaquette might have been a salesman's sample of the products Gorham could produce. It is struck on a very thin planchet, maybe to keep the weight down.

The rectangular plaquette mesaures 95.8mm x 46mm and was struck in bronze by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island.

The medal's obverse bears Liberty walking alongside a Buffalo. Around top, PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION; in exergue, field for dedication.

The medal's reverse bears South-American and North-American Native Americans smoking peace pipe together, shields with representations of their respective continents at their feet. Above, BVFFALO / VSA MCMI

The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York from May 1st through November 2nd, 1901. The exposition is most remembered for the shooting of U.S. President William McKinley. Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot him on September 6th while he was visiting the fair.

The medal exists in plain bronze, silver, gilted bronze, and gold variants. The silver and gold variants are very rare but no mintages have been reported. A golden piece was auctioned in 2017 by Rago Fine Arts for over $40,000. 

The medal measures 64mm in diameter and was manufactured by the Gorham Silver Company.

References:   Baxter 106, Marqusee 250

The medal's obverse bears cotton gin surrounded by wreath of cotton branches within border of twisted cotton lengths and beaded rim. Around, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COTTON MANUFACTURERS; above gin, FOUNDED / · 1854 · ; under gin, INCORPORATED / DEC. 1894

The reverse bears spread eagle at bottom with laurel and oak forming wreath behind. In center field, engraved dedication: TO / ROBERT MARTIN GREGG / A GRADUATE OF / BRADFORD DURFEE / TEXTILE SCHOOL / FOR HIGHEST / EXCELLENCE / JUNE · 8 · 1933; on streamer under eagle's wings, A - 18 - 99 - D

This medal harkens back to the days when the south coast of New England was a powerhouse of textile manufacturing. The National Textile Association traces its history to 1854, the founding date of the Hampden County (Massachusetts) Cotton Spinners' Association, subsequently renamed the New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association (1865). The organization was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on December 1, 1894 and became the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers in April, 1906.

Bradford Durfee Textile School was a college in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1895, incorporated in 1899 and opened its doors in 1904.

The circular medal measures 63.7mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island. No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears crossed flagpoles with Japanese and American flags draped over middle, sprig of laurel on top; at bottom, two oak branches under Gorham hallmark of Lion passant, anchor, and Gothic G.

The reverse bears legend, PRESENTED · TO / THE · MEMBERS · OF / JAPANESE · COMMISSION / ON · THEIR · VISIT / · / TO / THE · GORHAM / MANUFACTURING CO / PROVIDENCE, R.I. / U.S.A. / OCT. 22 . 1909

In 1909, Eiichi Shibusawa led the Japanese Commercial Commission visit to the United States. This group of fifty business leaders met with chambers of commerce in major cities across America including Seattle, Portland, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, and obviously also visited the factory of Gorham Co. in Providence, Rhode Island. Meetings with American leaders like financier J.P. Morgan, inventor Thomas Edison, and President William Howard Taft completed the schedule.

It is believed that Japanese and American business leaders were desperately seeking to emphasize their common commercial interests in the midst of rising political and racial tensions between their two countries.

The circular medal measures 55mm in diameter and was cast by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island.  No mintage is reported but the fact that this medal was presented only to visiting commission members and cast instead of struck indicates a very small number, probably around 50.

Images of the bronze medal courtesy of Stack's Bowers Galleries, www.StacksBowers.com.

The obverse bears bearded portrait of Griswold as Hagen, l., holding a spear. Signed and dated at lower right, © W. D. Paddock 1912

The reverse bears a phrase of music over a wreath. Around, DEBUT · HAGEN - 1912 · / · PUTNAM GRISWOLD ·

Putnam Griswold (1875-1914) was an American opera singer.  Born in Minneapolis, he pursued a business career before discovering his voice at the age of 22. He studied in London, Paris, and Germany and became a regular member of the Berlin Opera. In 1911 he returned to America to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where his Wagner interpretations won over public and critics alike. He died suddenly of appendicitis in 1914, cutting short a stellar operatic career.

The medal was cast by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island. No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears portraits of Ida Straus at left and and Isidor Straus at right, both in circular fields. Below fields, the couple's birthdays and their death day, - FEBRVARY SIXTH 1849 - and - FEBRVARY SIXTH 1849 - / APRIL FITEENTH NINETEEN HVNDRED AND TWELVE; signed at bottom right, L LENTELLI

The medal's reverse reads ISIDOR AND IDA STRAUS / JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, BROOKLYN, NY / AWARDED TO / (inscribed to HELEN WEISS) / FOR SETTING AN EXAMPLE / OF CONSCIENTIOUS EFFORT AND / LOYALTY TO SCHOOL AND AMERICAN IDEALS

Isidor Straus was a German-American businessman and, together with his brother Nathan, co-owner of department store Macy's. He also served briefly as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He died with his wife, Ida, in the sinking of the passenger ship RMS Titanic.

The rectangular medal measures 100.8mm x 73.6mm and was struck in bronze by the Gorham Company of Providence, Rhode Island.  No mintage is reported.