All Medals

This medal's obverse bears conjoined busts of Warner and Swasey facing left. Around edge, WORCESTER REED WARNER · AMBROSE SWASEY; to left of Warner, 1846 - / 1929; in exergue, 1880 · 1930; signed in exergue under truncation, V.D.BRENNER

The reverse bears large telescope in observatory with two men seated to left, one standing on raised platform at ocular, and one on tower at telescope mount. Around edge, THE WARNER & SWASEY CO. / CLEVELAND OHIO. U.S.A. / LICK TELESCOPE

The medal celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Warner & Swasey Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Warner and Swasey had worked together at Pratt & Whitney and cofounded their eponymous company in 1880 in Chicago. in 1881 they moved to Cleveland to be located closer to one of their major customers.

The company manufactured lathes and other metal working machines and existed as a subsidiary of Giddings & Lewis until 1992 when it was shut down. Before that it had been acquired by the Bendix Corporation in 1980, Cross & Trecker in 1984 and finally Giddings & Lewis in 1991.

This medal was issued several years after V.D. Brenner's death and is a reworking of a medal that Brenner designed ten years earlier to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary. The original design was modified by updating the anniversary date and by adding Warner's lifespan; he had died a year earlier.

The medal measures 64mm in diameter and was struck in bronze. The mintage is not reported.

References:   MACo 1930-018

The medal's obverse depicts factory floor scene with two workers operating a casting furnace.  Around, · 1899 - FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY - 1949 ·  / CHICAGO MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY

The medal's reverse bears vertical line of laurel leaves at left. Across, 50TH ANNIVERSARY / (five stars) / FIFTY YEARS IN / A SINCERE EFFORT / TO GIVE COMPLETE / SATISFACTION BY / IMPROVING OUR / PRODUCTS AND / BETTERNG OUR / SERVICE.

References:   MACo 1949-002

The medal's obverse bears conjoined busts of Peter MacGregor Fraser and James Lee Loomis, r. Around, · PETER MACGREGOR FRASER · JAMES LEE-LOOMIS · / THE CONNECTICUT MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY; signed at left, (ELB monogram)

The reverse bears CM logo in shape of greek temple. Around, THE STRENGTH OF A CENTURY / SAFEGUARDS YOUR FAMILY'S FUTURE; across, 1846 - 1946

The Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company merged with the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1996, the year of its 150th anniversary.

The circular medal measures 76.3mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.  No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1946-027

The plaquette's obverse bears bust of Edison facing right. On right side, EDISON; signed with Sinnock's monogram J © R / S

The reverse bears the legend LIGHT'S / GOLDEN JUBILEE / 1879 - 1929 / AN ART MEDAL / MADE BY / MEDALLIC ART COMPANY / NEW YORK

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was of course the serial inventor and businessman who is generally credited with inventing the electric light bulb, the phonograph, the telephone and many other important innovations in the field of electricity and power transmission.

Light's Golden Jubilee was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Edison's incandescent light bulb, held on October 21, 1929, just days before the stock market crash of 1929 that swept the United States headlong into the Great Depression. The Jubilee also served as the dedication of Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, originally known as the Thomas Edison Institute.

This plaquette is one of two instances on which the Medallic Art Company used the term "Art Medal" in 1929. The other is the medal commemorating J. Ramsay MacDonald's visit to the U.S.

The plaquette measures 58mm x 77mm and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1929-057

The medal's obverse bears a whippet in classic pose, facing right, gently sloping horizon and sun hinted at in background. Signed at bottom right, K · Lang.

The reverse has legend only. In centerfield, SHOW / WESTMINSTER / KENNEL CLUB / 1930 / WON BY / CH. NORA / OF / SIONHILL; around, (star) AMERICAN WHIPPET CLUB (star) / BEST OF BREED

The Whippet is a medium-sized sighthound, combining elegance and athleticism with a friendly, amiable disposition. In temperament, the Whippet is affectionate and gentle, but is capable of great intensity during sporting events. Originating in England, the breed was first recognized in this country by the American Kennel Club in 1888.

The circular medal measures 50.7mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and sterling silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintages are reported.

References:   MACo 1930-031

References:   MACo 1966-001-002, WWII 2

The uniface medallion bears figure of a boy facing right, standing bent forward, hands on his thighs, with figure of another boy in various stages of leapfrogging over his back.Signed at bottom right, © 1993 EVERHART II

Don Everhart states that this medal was inspired by the work of Eadweard Muybridge, an English photographer who pioneered stop-motion photography. After shooting his wife's lover and being acquitted by a jury for justifiable homicide, Muybridge decided to travel to the Americas. In the 1880s, he entered a very productive period at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, producing over 100,000 images of animals and humans in motion, capturing what the human eye could not distinguish as separate movements.

The medallion is cast in bronze.

Many thanks to the artist for sharing his photo of this beautiful medallion with me.

The medal's obverse bears diamond-shaped centerfield with sun surrounded by labels for the four quadrants depicting plants representing the four seasons; from top right in clockwise order, grapes (Autumn Equinox), flowers (Summer Solstice), fresh leaves (Spring Equinox), pine branches and cones (Winter solstice). On ring surrounding four quadrants in cursive script, The turning of the earth and the seasons. Signed in summer quadrant, MG

The reverse bears calendar panel doubling up as trellis, framed by flowers on three sides and vertical 1995 at right.

The medal was designed by Melody Gorzelanczyk and modeled by Virginia Janssen.

The circular medal measures 76.2mm in diameter and was struck in brone by the Medalcraft Mint of Green Bay, Wisconsin. No mintage is reported.

References:   Cal MC-1995

The medal's obverse bears bust of Frits Holm, facing right. Around, FRITS - HOLM; signed at bottom, ALBERT BRUCE-JOY FECIT MCMXXI

The reverse bears Chinese symbols around central field with beaded border. Inside, — DEN —  / HOLM · NESTORIANSKE / EXPEDITION TIL SANFV /SHENSI N · V · KINA / MCMVII · VIII / TIL MINDE

Frits Holm (1881-1930) was a Danish scholar and adventurer who is best known for the his 1907 attempt to "obtain" the famous Nestorian Stele, an ancient Christian monument in Xi'an, China.  When Chinese authorities learned of his expedition they moved the stele and he had an exact copy manufactured to not leave empty-handed.

The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts had the replica on loan for 10 years before George Leary, a wealthy New Yorker, bought it as a gift for the Pope.

The circular medal measures 64mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

Many thanks to Ben Burnham for his permission to use images from his eBay store.

References:   MACo 1922-017

This medal's obverse bears worker about to strike snake on anvil with sledge hammer; mobile 8-inch army rifle on reinforced railroad car chassis in the background. Around, PRESENTED BY THE AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY; below, 1917-1918.

The reverse bears Columbia walking l. with palm frond; Statue of Liberty and sun in distance. On left, FOR SERVICE FAITHFULLY RENDERED; lower right, CB - JK.

The medal was presented to the company's employees for their faithful service during World War I. Accompanying the medal was a card containing the following message from William H. Woodlin, the President of the American Car and Foundry Company:

"The enclosed honor medal is awarded as an evidence of the appreciation by this Company of the work by you on its munition contracts, and as a lasting testimonial of the service rendered by you as an industrial soldier in the winning of the great war."

The signature CB - JK inidicates that the medal was a collaboration between Beach and Kilenyi (maybe design and sculpture) but I did not manage to find any evidence supporting the nature of their collaboration. Harry Waterson believes that Beach designed the medal and Kilenyi executed the bas-reliefs. His evidence is that there are design drawings and, according to him, "Beach could draw, Kilenyi couldn't."

This medal measures 63.5mm in diameter and was struck in bronze, silver, and 14k gold by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, RI. The silver variant is quite rare and the gold exceedingly rare but no mintages are reported.

According to a book about the company, a combined total of 7,500 pieces in all metals is believed to have been struck.

References:   Marqusee 52