Medals Related to New York City

The medal's obverse bears glass and hand in the center, flanked by the company's headquarters in 1842 and the company's contemporary headquarters. Over buildings, 1842 / 1942; around, OUR HAND HAS NEVER / LOST ITS SKILL; at lower right, signed R. CHAMBELLAN SC.

The medal's reverse bears border of hops and grain around center field with inscription: TO / COMMEMORATE / OUR 100TH YEAR / THE F.&M. SCHAEFER / BREWING CO. / AMERICA'S OLDEST LAGER BEER.

The F.&M. Schaefer Brewery is the longest operating brewery in New York City, the last operating brewery in New York City [as of 1976], and America's oldest lager beer brewing company - all these honors, plus many others, belong to the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company.

"F. & M." stands for Frederick and Maximilian, the brothers who founded Schaefer. Frederick Schaefer, a native of Wetzlar, Prussia, Germany, emigrated to the U.S. in 1838. When he arrived in New York City on October 23rd he was 21 years old and had exactly $1.00 to his name. There is some doubt as to whether or not he had been a practicing brewer in Germany, but there is no doubt that he was soon a practicing brewer in his adopted city. Within two weeks of his landing, Frederick took a job with Sebastian Sommers, who operated a small brewhouse on Broadway, between 18th and 19th Streets. Frederick obviously enjoyed both his job and life in America, and the next year his younger brother, Maximilian, decided to make the arduous trip across the Atlantic also. He arrived in June of 1839 and brought with him a formula for lager, a type of beer popular in Germany but unheard of in the United States. The brothers dreamed, and planned, and saved - and in the late summer of 1842 they were able to buy the small brewery from Sommers. The official, and historic, starting date was September, 1842.

In 1981, the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was purchased by the Stroh Brewery Company. In 1999, the Stroh Brewery Company was in turn bought by the Pabst Brewing Company which continues to sell Schaefer Beer today.

This medal measures 76mm (3in) in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

References:   MACo 1941-046

The uniface medal bears Demeter, Greek goddess of Agriculture, aided in her efforts by Sun, Sea, and Soil, bearing bundles of grain; scientist and chemical laboratory equipment in background.  Around, FRITZSCHE BROTHERS, INCORPORATED / 1871 · SEVENTY-FIFTH · ANNIVERSARY · 1946

Fritzsche Brothers was established on August 28, 1871, at 62 Cedar Street, New York City, as a subsidiary of chemical maker Schimmel & Co., of Leipzig, Germany, for the purpose of importing and selling essential oils. After more than 80 years in business the company sold itself to Dodge & Olcott, which in turn was bought by German chemical giant BASF, which then sold the unit off to Givaudan.

The anniversary medal bears the design of a previously inaugurated Fritzsche Brothers award medal.  As the brochure accompanying the medal explained, combining Demeter with a modern scientist symbolizes the chemical industry's higher purpose of "converting Nature's bounty to the needs of Man."

The medal usually comes mounted on a wooden paperweight. Establishing the weight and potential edge markings would require the object's disassembly, which I didn't want to do. If anyone has a loose medal and can take the measurements, I'd appreciate the missing data.

References:   MACo 1946-011

The obverse bears Art Deco style allegory depicting a kneeling female figure (representing the city) with five smaller figures (representing the five boroughs) standing on her extended leg. Around, THE CITY OF NEW YORK / * * * * *; signed along edge at 5:00 position: MICHAEL LANTZ.

The reverse bears flying male figure at top with skyscrapers below to either side; at bottom right, a reclining female figure holding book; at bottom left, a factory with smokestacks; at center, inscribed field surrounded by the names of the five boroughs: MANHATTAN BROOKLYN QUEENS BRONX RICHMOND. This piece contains inscription: PRESENTED BY / MAYOR / WILLIAM O'DWYER / TO MAYOR / KENDIG C. BARE / LANCASTER. PENN. / 1950

This medal is the highest award conferred upon civilians by the City of New York. The medal is presented by the Mayor to those individuals who have demonstrated, "exceptional citizenship and outstanding achievement."

The recipients come from a wide range of backgrounds, including ordinary citizens, foreign dignitaries, athletes, and film stars. The recipient of this particular piece was Kendig C. Bare, the mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was mayor from 1950 to 1958 and served in the Korean War in 1950/1951. This particular piece seems to be one of the earliest because the medal was only designed in 1948. There is also a companion Golden Anniversary medal that shares many of the design elements.

This medal measures 70mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1948-012-001, Marqusee 236

The medal's obverse bears a winged plaque and lots of lext. Around top, THE PORT OF NEW YORK AUTHORITY; at top of center, NEW YORK / INTERNATIONAL / AIRPORT; on plaque, DEDICATION / JULY 31, 1948, followed by long list of names and titles; plaque surrounded by airport statistics.

The medal's reverse bears an aireal view of runway layout with clouds at top and sea at bottom. Around bottom edge, © NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT; signed over shoreline at left, KILENYI

New York International Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy airport, was built to relieve LaGuardia Airport which was overcrowded soon after opening in 1939. Construction began in 1943, and about $60 million was initially spent of governmental funding, but only 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land on the site of the Idlewild Golf Course were earmarked for use.

The project was renamed Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in 1943, after a Queens resident who had commanded a Federalized National Guard unit in the southern United States and died in late 1942. In March 1948 the New York City Council changed the name to New York International Airport, Anderson Field, but the common name was "Idlewild" until 1963.

The Port Authority leased the JFK property from the City of New York in 1947 and maintains this lease today. The first airline flight from JFK was on July 1, 1948; the opening ceremony was attended by then U.S. President Harry S. Truman. The Port Authority cancelled foreign airlines' permits to use LaGuardia, forcing them to move to JFK during the next couple of years.

This medal measures 76mm (3in) in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Robbins Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts. A silver variant was part of the Marqusee collection.

References:   Marqusee 226

The uniface medallion bears portrait of Henry L. Stimson, facing left. To his right, (CA) for the Century Association; on banner around bottom, HENRY · L · STIMSON; signed and dated under truncation, MANSHIP / 1950

Henry Lewis Stimson (1867-1950) was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in the foreign policy of the United States, serving in Republican and Democratic administrations. He served as Secretary of War (1911-1913) under William Howard Taft, Secretary of State (1929-1933) under Herbert Hoover, and Secretary of War (1940-1945) under Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Stimson served as the Century Association's president from 1937 to 1939.

A galvano of Paul Manship's medallion was used as the model for the Henry L. Stimson medal, which is presented annually to outstanding Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District and in the Eastern District of New York.

The medallion measures around 100mm in diameter and was cast in bronze. It is not known how many medallions were cast.

References:   Murtha 512

The medal's obverse bears view of Hotel Commodore in New York City.  In exergue, HOTEL / COMMODORE / NEW YORK CITY

The reverse depicts an open door flanked by shrubbery. In exergue a quote by Emerson, "Happy is the house / that shelters a friend" / Emerson

The Commodore Hotel s located directly east of the Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It opened on January 28, 1919.

Herbert R. Stone, of the New York State Realty and Terminal Company, oversaw the decor of its 2,000 rooms. The lobby, called the "Most Beautiful Lobby in The World," was the single largest room in the hotel, with modern low ceilings and a waterfall designed by John B. Smeraldi. A group of conventioneers once told Bowman that "New York City was like a circus," so the next day Bowman, ever a showman, arranged to place a circus, complete with elephants, in the grand ballroom. Another popular spot was the Century Room, which boasted its own orchestra.

On May 11, 1977, the now-bankrupt railroad's asset manager, Victor Palmieri, told the city that the Commodore had lost $1.5 million in 1976 and might have to be shuttered. At that point, the Trump Organization, partnered with the Hyatt Corporation, bought the Commodore.

At a cost of $100 million, Donald Trump gutted and renovated the building.  On September 25, 1980 the hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel New York. The Trump-Hyatt partnership would last for another 13 years before it ended in legal suits and countersuits. In 1996 the Pritzker family finally bought the Trump share for $146 million.

The circular medal measures 76.2mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1950-017

References:   Baxter 240, MACo 1958-007