The John E. Marqusee Collection

The obverse bears bust of Lincoln, r. (no button holes on lapel). Around, SALVATOR / PATRIAE.; signed below truncation, EMIL SIGEL FECIT.

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, the first one to be officially issued by the ANS, almost proved financially calamitous to the young organization. The dies gave out quickly and Sigel had to create a second set. The Society put a $720 lien on the set of dies until the additional costs were completely repaid.

The circular medal measures 83mm in diameter. Mintage numbers are uncertain but believed to be between 100 and 125 pieces in bronze and 30 in white metal (tin).

J.S. and A.B. Wyon of London were authorized to strike reductions of the medal in different sizes and metals. Variants that are known to exist include bronze pieces, silver and white metal pieces in sizes of 35mm, 16mm and 7mm. All of these are rare. These medals were not issued by the ANS, though the Society purchased 25 sets for sale to its members.

References:   ANS 1, Marqusee 353

The medal's obverse bears portrait of William Fahnestock. Around top, · FAHNESTOCK · & · CO · ; To left, WILLIAM / FAHNESTOCK / FOUNDER; to right, 1881 / 1931; signed above right shoulder, (JSR monogram)

The medal's reverse bears a beautifully detailed street scene of New York's Wall Street. To left, WALL / STREET; to right, 1881; signed at bottom, (JSR monogram)

William Fahnestock (1858-1936) beccame the youngest member of the New York Stock exchange at age 23. A year later, he opened the doors to Fahnestock & Co with his father, Harris C. Fahnestock, at 2 Wall Street. After a series of consolidations and mergers, the firm is now part of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.

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

References:   MACo 1931-001, Marqusee 355

The uniface medal bears bust of Captain Arthur Rostron facing right. Around, S·S·TITANIC (laurel branch) APRIL·15·1912 (laurel branch) S·S·CARPATHIA / CAPTAIN · ROSTRON; signed to left and right of bust, © - SPICER·/SIMSON

The edge is marked with a faint "41"

On April 15, 1912, Arthur Henry Rostron (1869-1940) was a captain for the Cunard Line when his ship, the ocean liner RMS Carpathia, received a distress signal from the White Star liner RMS Titanic. The Titanic had struck an iceberg and was sinking rapidly.  Rostron immediately ordered his ship to race for the sinking Titanic.  His engineering crew coaxed the Carpathia's engines up to 17.5 knots, 3.5 knots over its rated speed. He took a huge risk racing through dense ice at night but he knew what was at stake when a major liner was sinking in freezing water in the middle of the Atlantic.  In the 3.5 hours which it took to arrive at the Titanic's radioed position he gave 23 orders that would later prove to have saved lives. His crew prepared blankets, food and drinks and ended up rescuing 710 survivors from the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

Rostron was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Thanks of Congress, the American Cross of Honor, and medals by the Liverpool and New York Shipwreck Societies.  Rostron would eventually rise to the position of Commodore of the Cunard Line and served as a British Naval Officer during World War I.

The medal was privately commissioned by Titanic survivors Margaret Brown and Dennis Telluride.

The circular medal measures 51mm. Only 500 pieces were struck in bronze.

This medal's obverse bears the Allied arms on shield over American Eagle. Around, DO · RIGHT / AND · FEAR - NO · MAN; on shield, AD - 1916; on wings, COPYRIGHT / SPICER · SIMSON

The reverse bears American shield with stars and sripes framed by two laurel branches; under stars, APRIL · VI · MDCCCCXVII ·. Around, : THAT · GOVERNMENT · BY ·THE · PEOPLE · SHALL · NOT · PERISH; above and below shield, © / T · S · S; under right branch GORHAM CO.

The motto on the obverse is taken from the inscription of George Washington's dress sword. A limited but unknown number of these large medals were offered at a cost of $20 in bronze and $30 in silver. The medal was conceived by the American Fund for French Wounded with the profits supporting relief work for French soldiers and civilians.

The circular medal measures 63.4mm in diameter (74.8mm with loop) and was struck in bronze and silver by the Gorham Company. No mintage is reported.

References:   Baxter 315, Marqusee 362

The obverse bears conjoined busts of Belgium's King and Queen facing left. Below, streamer with legend FORTISSIMI - SUNT - BELGAE; at bottom, ANS sigil. Around, KING * ALBERT * AND * QUEEN * ELISABETH * OF * THE * BELGIANS; signed (TSS monogram) in lower left field.

The reverse bears channel seascape with low-flying bi-plane, clouds, and flying bird. Around, COMMEMORATING - THEIR - AERIAL - CROSSING - OF - THE - ENGLISH - CHANNEL - JULY - MDCCCCXVIII; signed below waves, T. SPICER-SIMSON

The medals are edge-stamped MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y. and inscribed with a number.

This medal was the 37th official issue of the American Numismatic Society. It commemorates the flight of the king and queen of Belgium to England on the occasion of King George and Queen Mary's silver anniversary. The celebrations took place in London on July 6th, 1918.

The latin quote on the obverse is an abbreviation from the opening paragraph of Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War—"(Horum eorum) fortissimi sunt Belgae", meaning "The bravest of these are the Belgians." It is easy to forget that the year was 1918 and World War I was still being fought in Europe. Flying across the Channel by itself was not yet a common endeavor, but doing it during an active war was certainly a display of courage that cold not help but boost morale.

The medal measures 63.8mm (2.5in) and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York in bronze and silver. As with all early ANS medals, the mintage is very low; 1 medal was struck in gold, only 97 medals were struck in silver and 136 in bronze. Originally, the silver medals were sold for $10 and the bronze medals for $5.

References:   ANS 37, Baxter 282, MACo 1918-009, Marqusee 365

The obverse bears polar bear on floe, flying snow geese behind. In upper field, ARCTIC; around, * GREELY * BARTLETT * PEARY * BYRD *

The reverse bears group of four penguins on ice. Around, * PALMER * WILKES * BYRD * ELLSWORTH *; below, ANTARCTIC / E.F.S / ©

Springweiler described his thoughts in the brochure accompanying the medal:

"In creating this medal I was thinking of another world, a silent and cruel one, the regions around the poles of our globe, the endless icewastes, the land of midnight sun."

While stressing the barren and cruel nature of the polar reaches, he praised the men who had set out to explore them and commemorated their names on the medal.

This medal was chosen as the 24th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1941. It measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company. Its mintage is reported to be 999 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-024, Marqusee 369, SoM 24

The obverse bears man leaning on plow, gazing right toward military cemetery. To left and right, MAN - SEEKS / TO TURN - FROM THE / SAVAGERY - OF WAR; in exergue, 1936 / ©

The reverse bears winged female figure in flight over mountains, holding olive branch. In exergue, PEACE

Stewart's Message from the Artist was very brief:

"In arriving at the subject matter for a contemporary medal, I was guided by the belief that man's voice of protest against war is growing from and inaudible whisper to a resounding concordance, which may bring 'between all men peace and good fellowship.'"

The message was deeply felt and widely shared, yet 1936 was already giving a preview of the violence that was to engulf the world within a few years: Italy concquered Ethiopia, civil war raged in Spain, Japanese aggression against China, the Arab revolt against the British, and of course Hitler's remilitarization of the Rhineland were all portents of a world at strife.

This medal was chosen as the 14th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1936. It measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company. Its mintage is reported to be 968 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-014, Marqusee 371, SoM 14

The obverse bears an elegant woman gazing right; two dolphins meld into field. Around, ONTARIO SENDS GREETINGS TO THE SEA

The reverse bears a depiction of Taft's Fountain of the Great Lakes, with the figures of five young women pouring water from one shell to another. Around, ONTARIO MICHIGAN HURON SUPERIOR ERIE; at lower right, L.T. ©

Lorado Taft is best known for his monumental sculptures, and among these, for his Fountain of the Great Lakes. In the brochure accompanying the medal he wrote:

"As a small boy I was fascinated with the story of the Danaides, - those beautiful sisters who were eternally occupied in the hopeless task of carrying water in a sieve, - no, in forty-nine sieves. To my youthful imagination, they made the most levely groups, and it was unspeakably pathetic to think of them thus punished for killing their husbands - something that might happen in any family!"

This medal was chosen as the eleventh issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1935. Apparently, Taft first proposed a peace-related theme but changed his mind and instead picked a lighter hearted theme.

This medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported production quantity of this medal is 1,025 in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-011, Marqusee 374, SoM 11

The obverse shows a kneeling miner holding a chunk of ore and a pickaxe. Around, THE BERWIND WHITE COAL MINING CO 50TH ANNIVERSARY;

The reverse bears two square panels, the left one showing a steamship, the right one a factory with freight train in front. Banners above and below, reading EUREKA and 1886 - 1936; signed at bottom TIFFANY & CO.

The Berwind White Coal Mining Company was started as a partnership between Edward Julius Berwind, Charles Berwind, and Congressman Allison White. At the beginning of the 20th centry the company was one of the largest producers of coal. In 1962 the family corporation diversified into other industries and seems to have done very well; by 2007 its real estate holdings alone were estimated to be worth $3 billion.

The circular medal measures 81.3mm in diameter and was struck by Tiffany & Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   Marqusee 375

The obverse bears bust of Ulysses Grant r.; below, seal of the Society; to left of truncation, four stars denoting his rank. Around, GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT; signed on trunctation, TIFFANY

The reverse shows a view of Grant's tomb. Around, DEDICATED NEW YORK APRIL 27 1897; in exergue, ISSUED BY THE THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC / AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY; signed at bottom, TIFFANY & CO.

This is the 11th medal issued by the American Numismatic Society.

The medal measures 64mm in diameter and was designed and struck by Tiffany & Company. The reported mintage for this medal is 1 piece in gold, 81 in silver, and 500 in bronze.

References:   ANS 11, Marqusee 376