Society of Medalists

References:   MACo 1930-001-041, SoM 41

The obverse bears man and woman holding baby; daisy at l., ear of wheat at r. Above, PEACE / IS / LIFE; below, © HOWARD

The reverse bears skull with gaping jaw; landscape with burning buildings, steeple, dead tree. Above, WAR / IS / DEATH

In the brochure accompanying the medal Howard wrote:

"The theme of this medal is so obvious as to demand very little explanation. I should like to say, however, the 'Life' and 'Death' as here used, are intended to mean not only physical life and death, but the preservation or destruction of civilization and moral values as well."

This medal was chosen as the 42nd issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1950.  It measures 72mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported mintage is 842 pieces in silver-plated bronze.

References:   MACo 1930-001-042, SoM 42

The obverse bears standing angular God creating man and woman, sun, planets, and stars. Around, IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED - THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH

The reverse bears seated God with dividers. Around, AND GOD SAW EVERYTHING THAT HE HAD MADE, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS VERY GOOD; signed at lower left, (AW monogram) ©

This medal was chosen as the 43rd issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1951.

It measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 725 pieces in bronze.

References:   MACo 1930-001-043, SoM 43

References:   MACo 1930-001-044, SoM 44

The medal's obverse bears rider galloping to right, facing back with pistol held straight out. To left, PONY EXPRESS; to right, TEN DAYS TO / SAN FRANCISCO

The reverse bears settlers with Conestoga wagon drawn by oxen, mountain and sun in background. Below, NEW FRONTIERS / 18 (cattle skull) 49 / © JAMES EARLE FRASER SC

The medal's reverse is very familiar to coin collectors who know the motif from the Oregon Trail half dollar. Fraser was a traditionalist who wrote in the brochure that accompanied the medal:

"... wherever possible we should use the lore of our people. With this thought in mind I selected two of the most romantic, hazardous and important subjects of our pioneer days, the Prairie Schooner and the Pony Express."

This medal was chosen as the 45th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1952.

The circular medals measure 73mm in diameter and were struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company. The reported mintage is 964 pieces in bronze.  There are two versions of the silver medal.  The first is the from the 1970's edition that was limited to 700 pieces with no mintage reported. The second is a telemarketing reissue from 1993 with an estimated mintage of 300 pieces.

References:   MACo 1930-001-45, SoM 45

The medal's obverse bears a standing boy scout in 1940s uniform signaling with flags and a kneeling scout with binoculars. Around, BUILDING TOWARD UNITY / YOUTH OF THE SCOUT WORLD; to lower left, lamp on stack of books; below, KG monogram ©.

The reverse bears a defiant eagle striding left over chains.

Karl Gruppe wrote in the brochure accompanying the medal:

"As this medal is issued, the threat of war is still upon us. The theme I have chosen is not peace but 'Building Toward Unity.' [...] The reverse shows an eagle freeing himself from chains of bondage. A symbol of America to Americans, a symbol of freedom to to people of other lands."

This medal was chosen as the 46th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1952.

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 762 pieces in bronze and an unknown number of pieces (from an edition limited to 700) in silver.  This is also one of the medals that had one side, in this case the reverse, used in a uniface medal produced by Towle, Inc.

References:   MACo 1930-001-046, SoM 46

The medal's obverse bears brown trout taking a wet fly shown with V-shaped wake.

The reverse bears a "Parmachene Belle" fishing fly. Signed at lower left, (GP monogram) / ©

This medal was selected as the 47th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1953. After "Boy Fishing", this was the second fishing-themed medal in the series. As the artist wrote in his lengthy comments accompanying the medal:

"Protagonists of the dry fly and the wet fly will still be giving one another an argument on the day of judgement. To be perfectly unbiased, this medal caters to both."

Apparently both sides liked the medal and it was universally well received by the membership.

The circular medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company. The mintage is reported as 834 pieces in bronze and an unknown number of pieces in silver (from a limited edition of 700).

References:   MACo 1930-001-47, SoM 47

The obverse bears lightly draped man clasping hand of nude man holding olive branch. Around, TO BEHOLD HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT IT IS FOR / BRETHREN / TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY; between heads, PSALM 133; below right figure, © P.D.

The reverse bears a plow over an olive spray. Around, THEY SHALL BEAT THEIR SWORDS / INTO PLOUGHSHARES; to left, © P D

This medal was chosen as the 48th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1953. Peter Dalton stated in his message "From the Artist":

"With the survival of the world so dependent on peaceful means, the verse from the 133rd Psalm seems to take on added significance."

This medal measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company which struck 657 pieces in bronze and an unknown number of pieces in silver (from a limited edition of 700).

References:   MACo 1930-001-048, SoM 48

The medal's obverse bears a muscular nude goddess of art holding a small Nike with Pegasus and guiding star behind. The reverse bears a hand holding a modeling tool in front of a caliper and L-square. Around, THIS ABOVE ALL TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.

The purpose of Abram Belskie's medal is not known, but the title, a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, suggests that this medal was commissioned to honor artistic achievement and to encourage artists to follow their own creative impulses. In the artist's own words:

"The drama of Sculpture does not always appear on the surface but its story is indeed the story of civilization. Art is a goddess who smiles upon all, though mostly on her votaries and whose charms are very young. The sculptors of every age are the true mute though not inglorious laureates of their time and as long as men remain men, the principals [sic] of eternal beauty will woo their imagination."

This medal was chosen as the 49th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. The Society's members seemed torn on this medal. While some found it beautiful and even without peer, others objected to lack of detail, anatomical weaknesses, and being "too modernistic for plain men."

The circular medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company.  The mintage was reported as 748 pieces in bronze. The number of silver pieces is not known but the edition was limited to 700.

References:   MACo 1930-001-049, SoM 49

The medal's obverse bears bearded Socrates, facing left, discussing philosphy with three disciples, facing right. Around, SOCRATES DISCUSSING WITH HIS DISCIPLES; signed at lower right, (IM monogram)

The reverse bears bearded Plato writing on tablet in his lap; muse to his right. Around, THE PHILOSOPHER IN THE GRIP OF INSPIRATION; signed at lower right, (IM monogram) / C

This medal was chosen as the 50th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. The original models bore no legend.  The Society's advisory board loved the design but, at the urging of Paul Manship, the legends were added.

While SoM medals usually exhibit very high relief, this medal is unlike any other in the series.  The relief is flat, and the design quite sparse. It's more like a sketch than like a fully worked bas-relief.  Nevertheless, through the thoughtful application of tan patina, the medal gains depth and is quite stunning in its simplicity.

The circular medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company.  The mintage was reported as 690 pieces in bronze. The number of silver pieces is not known but the edition was limited to 700.

References:   MACo 1930-001-050, SoM 50