Society of Medalists

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 bears hand with flame bracelet holding infant and moon before swirling clouds and lighning. Divided by hand, FIAT - VITA; signed at bottom with large circled © and FRANCISCI ··· around.

The reverse bears streams of plasma, stars, and lightning around cloudy center, suggesting the creation of the cosmos.

De Francisci picked Creation as the theme for this medal and succeeded in creating a beautiful medal that combines both the religious and the scientific approaches in one model. The obverse shows the hand of the creator, on which rests a bold infant, secure in its place in the center of the universe. On the reverse we have a more scientific image of swirling gas clouds, hinting at cosmological processes of creation.

As de Francisci put it in his "Sculptor's Message," which focused on the scientific explanation:

"The advent of life, either in its rudimentary or complex organism, is based on the hypothesis that life could evolve and endure on all planets receiving heat and light from a central orb."

The scalloped edge incorporated the medal as a whole into the design and made it even more special.

This medal was chosen as the twelfth issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1935. Struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York, the medal measures 72mm in diameter and has a reported production quantity of 1,165 in silver-plated bronze and 100 in silver. This medal was re-issued in silver in 1993 as part of a promotion. The mintage of that re-issue is not known.

References:   MACo 1930-001-012, Marqusee 160, SoM 12

The medal's obverse bears a line of five runners, flying geese overhead, slim whippet racing below.

The reverse bears a nude athlete putting the shot. Flanking the athlete, 19 (RTM monogram) 36 - REJOICE / OH / YOUNG - MAN IN / THY - YOUTH; in exergue, ©

Robert Tait McKenzie is rightly famous for his athletic subjects and this medal is a good example. As he wrote in the brochure accompanying the medal:

"The last fifty years has shown a revival and spread of interest in competitive athletic sports and outdoor life that has no parallel in the history of the world...
As one who has followed this great movement from its inceptionto maturity I have chosen two phases of it for the thirteenth medal issued by the Society."

This medal was chosen as the 13th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1936. It measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported production quantity of this medal is 1,001 in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   109, MACo 1930-001-013, Marqusee 269, SoM 13

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 artfully draped couple embracing, woman in foreground. Legend reads OMNIA / VINCIT / AMOR (Love conquers all). The reverse bears the same couple as seen from the other side. Legend reads MAN / -KIND / LOVE A / LOVER. Signed AI /TK / EN.

The brochure which accompanied the medal had the following words from the artist:

"In making a medal or medallion the main problem is to add, if possible, to its metallic alloy the one ingredient which makes bronze imperishable - Beauty - Beauty in thought and execution. For Beauty inspires Love - Love creates Beauty."

This medal was chosen as the 15th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1937. It measures 73mm in diameter and 1,160 pieces were struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Around 100 silver medals were struck from the same dies in the 1970s.

References:   MACo 1930-001-015, Marqusee 4, SoM 15

The obverse bears five nude youths bearing father's bier. The youngest carries a laurel wreath. Around, IN PEACE SONS BURY THEIR FATHERS; at lower left, BEACH / © 1937.

The reverse bears a gaunt father carrying son's body from the battlefield as vultures circle. Around, IN WAR THE FATHERS BURY THEIR SONS.

The brochure which acommpanied the medal had the following words from the artist:

"The tought of the medal is a simple, universal one when men pause to think straight; for that reason I have designed the medal as of no particular period. The Greeks probably put it most tersely, 'In Peace the Sons bury the Fathers, in War the Fathers bury the Sons.' Are our young men to be buried almost before mature manhood, under long rows of stone crosses, or are they to round out their lives and in turn be buried in reverence by their sons in peace? A thought to keep well before our vision as present war clouds again surround us."

Chester Beach put it well but what were the old and the young men to do when young men in other countries were being led towards war by their leaders?

This medal was chosen as the 16th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1937. Struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York, the reported production quantity of this medal is 941 in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-016, Marqusee 51, SoM 16

The medal's obverse bears a nude woman holding spirited infant with ball. Around, THE DANCE OF LIFE BEGINS EARLY / AND GOES ON.

The reverse bears nude male being pulled and pushed by two contending nude women. Around, WITH PLEASURE - PAIN / AND THE PROTAGONIST; between legs of figures, signature A - S - C / ©.

In this medal Alexander Stirling Calder portrays life as a dance that starts with playful exuberance and continues with experiences both pleasant and painful. It is not up to the dancer to decide how to dance, or even whether to dance. While every person is the protagonist in their own play, the script is continuously being written by others.

This design by Alexander Stirling Calder was chosen as the 17th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. It measures 73mm in diameter. Struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York, the reported production quantity of this medal is 891 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-017, Marqusee 101, SoM 17

The obverse shows wood duck preening, new fern fronds uncurling in background. Around, CONSERVE WILD LIFE; in lower right, signed G.K.LATHROP / ©

The reverse bears a kneeling pronghorn with large barrel cactus behind.

Gertrude Lathrop was an early environmentalist. She was deeply concerned with preserving wilderness and wildlife and railed against inhumane traps, farmers who killed predators, the use of furs in fashion, indiscriminate use of poisons, and the slaughter of entire species of birds and animals.

She chose the wood duck because it was endangered by the draining of wetlands and the pronghorn because by 1938 the only exemplars to be found lived on reservations.

This medal was chosen as the 18th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1938. It measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported mintage is 1,025 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-018, Marqusee 237, SoM 18

The obverse bears kneeling mother with child cowering before Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in sky above; serpent-like gas mask at her knee, castle and ancient ruin in background. In exergue, THE OLD WORLD / 1939; in lower field, E. McCARTAN / ©

The reverse bears mother in 1930s dress with book and child, basket of flowers by her knee, skyscrapers left, forst right, under radiant sun. In exergue, THE NEW WORLD / 1939

At the time this medal was being designed the situation on the European continent had deteriorated so much that all-out war seemed likely. America seemed far-removed from the insecurities and problems that the old world was facing. Americans looked over the Atlantic and were very much disinclined to get involved in yet another Great War. As McCartan wrote in his "From the Artist":

"The broad Atlantic Ocean thankfully isolates is from forces which destroy life and liberty and which impede the normal pursuit of happiness."

Of course, it did not turn out quite the way McCartan and many fellow Americans had hoped. America officially entered World War II in 1941 after already having provided substantial material assistance to its European Allies.

This medal was chosen as the 19th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1939. It measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported production quantity of this medal is 943 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-019, Marqusee 259, SoM 19

The obverse bears the goddess Ceres in profile right. Around, CERES BLESSING SO IS ON YOU. Below, JG © 39.

The reverse bears the blooming rose with two bees. Around, SCARCITY AND WANT SHALL SHUN YOU.

This medal was chosen as the 20th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1939. It was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York.  The reported production quantity of this medal in bronze is 937 pieces. The silver mintage was limited to an edition of 700 but no actual mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1930-001-020, Marqusee 196, SoM 20