Cancer Zodiac Sign

References:   Murtha 467

The uniface medal bears crab as seen from above, pincer claws facing towards upper edge. Between claws, CANCER

Chambellan's Zodiac medals were issued more than a decade after his death and are probably based on designs he made in the early 1930s when he was working on the RKO Roxy Theater.  The 1960s saw renewed interest in astrology and the signs of the zodiac arising in part from the counter-cultural hippie movement and its subsequent adoption into mainstream culture.

Cancer i s the fourth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer. It spans 90° and 120° celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this area on average between June 22 and July 22, and under the sidereal zodiac, the Sun transits this area between approximately July 16 and August 15.

In astrology, Cancer is the cardinal sign of the Water trigon, which is made up of Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio. It is considered a negative sign, whose domicile, or ruling planet, is the Moon. Though some depictions of Cancer feature a lobster, the sign is most often represented by the crab, based on the Karkinos, a giant crab that harassed Heracles during his fight with the Hydra.

Interestingly, at least to numismatists who live and breathe medallic art, this zodiac medal does not have the MACO 1967 copyright that the other medals in the series sport somewhere on the obverse.

The circular medal measures 69.7mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1967-151-007