Tiffany & Co.

References:   ANS 19

The obverse bears Henry Hudson and sailors on the Halve Maen during the hoisting of some freight onto the ship. Around top, DISCOVERY OF HUDSON RIVER BY HENRY HUDSON A D MDCIX; at lower left, THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY; at lower right, HUDSON-FULTON CELEBRATION COMM.; in exergue, HALVE MAEN; signed in lower right corner, E FUCHS

The reverse bears three seated female figures representing Steam Navigation, History, and Commerce; above, portrait of Robert Fulton. In background, views of New York in 1807 and 1909. Below portrait, ROBERT FULTON / 1765 1815; in exergue, FIRST USE OF STEAM NAVIGATION / ON THE HUDSON RIVER / 1807; signed in lower right corner, E FUCHS

This medal, in one of its many variants, is probably one of the most common ANS medals being traded. There are 15 known variants ranging from 1¼in silver-plated to 3in gold and 4in silver. Even the large gold variant had 11 pieces produced! This is probably the most successful ANS medal ever.

This medal was the 23rd official issue of the American Numismatic Society.

The offical medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck by Tiffany & Company of New York as well as Whitehead and Hoag of Newark. The reported mintage for the official ANS issue is 100 pieces in silver but there is a wide range of variants that are listed separately.

References:   ANS 23, Marqusee 186,187

The obverse bears standing Liberty, facing, holding long sword in her right and flaming torch of Freedom in her left hand; in background, clouds and rising sun. Around bottom, ALIS VOLAT PROPRIIS

The reverse bears wreath of laurels at left and oak leaves at right. In center, LA / REPUBLICA MEXICANA / EN EL / PRIMER · CENTENARIO / DE LA / PROCLAMACION · DE / SU · INDEPENDENCIA / 1810 - 1910; signed at lower left, TIFFANY & CO

Mexico marks its independence from Spain with the beginning of the armed struggle against colonial rule. On September 16, 1810, the secular Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo called independence fighters and indigenous inhabitants of Dolores to take up arms against the government. The armed struggle ended 11 years later with the formal declaration of independence on September 27, 1821.

The Latin phrase on the obverse translates to:

"She flies with her own wings,"

a phrase popular with independence movements and coincidentally also the state motto of Oregon.

The circular medal measures 90.1mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by Tiffany & Co. of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   Marqusee 385

References:   ANS 27, Baxter 248, Marqusee 54

References:   ANS 26

This medal's obverse bears portrait of Avery facing left. Around, · PRESENTED · TO · SAMVEL · PVTNAM · AVERY · BY · HIS · FRIENDS · AND · THE · ARCHITECTS · OF · NEW · YORK; signed over shoulder at right, V D BRENNER / 1914

The reverse bears view of building facade framed by trees and shrubs. Above, THE AVERY LIBRARY; below, framed by two wreaths, · FOVNDED · BY · / · SAMVEL · PVTNAM · AVERY · / · AND · MARY · OGDEN · AVERY · / · 1890 · / · COMPLETED · BY · / · SAMVEL · PVTNAM · AVERY · / · THEIR · SON · / · 1912 ·

The edge is marked TIFFANY & CO. FINE SILVER

The Avery Library is named for Henry Ogden Avery, one of late nineteenth century New York's promising young architects and a friend of William Robert Ware, who founded the Department of Architecture at Columbia in 1881. A few weeks after Avery's premature death in 1890, his parents, Samuel Putnam Avery and Mary Ogden Avery, established the library as a memorial to their son. They offered 2,000 of his books, mostly in architecture, archaeology, and the decorative arts, many of his original drawings, funds to round out the book collection, and an endowment to assure the continuous growth of the library.

The medal measures 64mm in diameter and was struck in silver by Tiffany & Company of New York City.

References:   Baxter 141

The medal's obverse bears an allegorical female figure holding a lamp and an olive branch in outstretched arms, standing in front of a globe, clouds below.

The reverse bears four shields on a raised circular panel, at top, U.S. shield, at bottom, the United Kingdom's. Large PAX in center; dates 18 - 15 above, 19 - 15 below; around,  ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF PEACE AMONG ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLES

The design on the obverse is based on a medal by J.G. Hancock celebrating the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. 

The circular medal measures 64.4mm in diameter and was issued by an organizing group called the American Peace Centenary Committee. It was struck in bronze and silver by Tiffany & Co. of New York.  No mintages are reported. 

There is also a smaller diameter medal with a different reverse.

Many thanks to the Numismatic Department of the Yale University Art Gallery for their generosity and support in making this medal available to me for research.

References:   Marqusee 384

The medal's obverse bears an allegorical female figure holding a lamp and an olive branch in outstretched arms, standing in front of a globe, clouds below.

The reverse bears two cornucopias arranged like wreath, tied with ribbon at bottom. In center, PAX; signed around lower right, TIFFANY & CO.

The design on the obverse is based on a medal by J.G. Hancock celebrating the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. 

The circular medal measures 29.1mm in diameter and was issued by an organizing group called the American Peace Centenary Committee. It was struck in sterling silver by Tiffany & Co. of New York.  No mintage is reported. 

There is also a better known larger diameter medal with a different reverse.

Many thanks to the Numismatic Department of the Yale University Art Gallery for their generosity and support in making this medal available to me for research.