Medals relating to Engineering

The medal's obverse has two halves, one silver and one bronze. On left, silver half, an industrial worker wearing heavy protective gear pours liquid into container. In right, bronze half, several scenes from inside a metal working factory.

The reverse bears HH logo at top. Below, 100 / YEARS OF SERVICE / TO INDUSTRY AND / ARTS ··· 1867 - 1967

Hand & Harman was founded  in New York City in 1867 by Peter Hayden. Hayden was a harness maker specializing in producing custom-made decorative silver fittings for the horses of well-to-do New Yorkers. He quickly discovered that there was more money to be made from trading in silver than from fashioning harnesses. From these beginnings, the company grew into a diversified conglomerate specializing in precious metal dealing, recycling, and non-precious metal manufacturing.

The medal posed significant technical challenges for the Medallic Art Company. The manufacture of this medal requires that a thin silver strip be placed over a bronze planchet, forming a bimetallic obverse.  The medal had to be kept in register between the multiple strikings that were required.

The circular medal measures 56.9mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1966-006

The medal's obverse bears diverse precast concrete construction element. Around, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE AND USE OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE AND PRECAST CONCRETE / · FOUNDED 1954 ·

The reverse bears architectural view of a concrete bridge. Across, PRESTRESSED CONCRETE INSTITUTE - PCI / ARCHITECTURAL - STRUCTURAL

As the prestressed industry grew in the early 1950s, it became apparent that a central organization was essential to provide a unity of purpose in the industry. PCI was legally chartered as the Prestressed Concrete Institute on June 18, 1954, in Tampa, Florida. In December 1959, PCI moved its headquarters from Florida to Chicago, where it is based today.

This design is very different from Menconi's usual work. It is almost abstract in its simplicity, whereas his normal style is very traditional. I like this medal a lot.

The oval medal measures 88.6mm x 60.2mm and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.  No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1968-030

The medal's obverse bears bust of Robert Fletcher, facing. Around top, ROBERT FLETCHER AWARD; below bust, DIRECTOR / THAYER SCHOOL OF / ENGINEERING / 1871 - 1918; around bottom, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE; signed under truncation, JOHN CALABRO / SC.

The medal's reverse bears wreath with inscribed FOR / DISTINGUISHED / ACHIEVEMENT / AND / SERVICE

Robert Fletcher (1847-1936) was a larger than life figure at Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering.  He was the engineering school's first professor and, by the time he retired in 1918, had taught at Dartmouth for 65 years and led the Engineering School as Dean for 47 years.

References:   MACo 1975-032

The medal's obverse bears perspective view of IBM typewriters through the decades. Across, 1933- / 1983 / (IBM logo)

The reverse bears legend, 50 Years of / Typewriter / Excellence

It is probably hard for today's generation to understand how big a business typewriters used to be.  Today, we have general purpose laptops, voice transcription is tantalizingly close for everyday life, and laser printers are an affordable item for most American families.

Before computers, typewriters were at the heart of most business operations and many families owned a private typewriter as well.  IBM was a big player in this market and became dominant when they merged electronics with typewriters.  Before electrical typewriters, each keystroke mechanically translated into a stamp hitting an inkstrip onto the paper.  How hard you hit the key defined how solid the letter's imprint was.  You could also jam a typewriter by hitting two keys simultaneously.  Electric typewriters revolutionized typing by using the keystrokes only as signals for the machine to do do the rest.

Hard to believe how much the world has changed since then...

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

The medal's obverse shows a Caterpillar tractor No. 77 on field or rough surface.  Around top, HISTORY OF THE TRACK-TYPE TRACTOR; at bottom, 1904 - 1905

The reverse bears calendar panel with three different tracked Caterpillar tractors to left, right and bottom. Above, 19 (CP logo) 85 / CATERPILLAR

The circular medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company.  No mintage is reported.

References:   Cal CP-1985

The medal's obverse bears technician at control station in midst of gigantic turbine wheels and gears.

The reverse bears Westinghouse W logo in center field. Around, CHARLOTTE TURBINE (lighning bolt) GENERATOR PLANT / 1969 - CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF QUALITY - 1989

I am partial to well-down technical designs and I really like this medal's obverse. It is nice to see a corporate commemorative from this period that went beyond the "logo and motto" design.

Any information on the artist would be deeply appreciated.

The medal's obverse bears heads of female figure at left and male figure at right, female figure's hair extending down left edge and up between figures. Around, L'ERE DE L'INFORMATION - THE INFORMATION AGE; across, MONTRÉAL / 1992; signed at lower left, Hunt

The reverse bears legend, XIIe CONGRESS INTERNATIONAL / DES ARCHIVES / XIIth INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS / ON ARCHIVES / MONTREAL / 1992

The International Council on Archives was established around 1940 to promote cooperation amongst the national archival communities to develop better archival policies, procedures, and services to meet the challenges of an ever-changing society. Congresses are held every four years when delegates from all over the world meet to discuss topics of current concern. The XIIth meeting was held from the 7-11 September 1992 in Montreal, Canada. The theme of the congress was "The Profession of the Archivist in the Information Age".

The circular medal measures 50mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Lombardo Mint. No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears desktop computer and globe over three fields depicting activity from beneath the ocean, space, and computer circuitry; fields with transparent enamel inlays in blue, olive, and red. Around, OPENING DOORS TO NEW FRONTIERS / 2001

The reverse bears month panels on small circular fields arranged in cruciform shape; in corners the digits of the year 2 0 0 1

As the brochure that accompanied the medal describes:

"The design depicts the impact of technology on global interpersonal communication and the environment. A deep relief sculpted earth and computer image are superimposed over an enameled background of the expanding frontiers to be explored - the sea, the universe and the door to both - technology."

The circular medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medalcraft Mint of Green Bay, Wisconsin. No mintage is reported.

References:   Cal MC-2001