All Medals

The plaquette's obverse bears a Phoenix rising from a fire. At top, 1851 - 1926; at bottom, PHOENIX MUTUAL / LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

The reverse bears company seal below COMMEMORATING / SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OF / CONTINUOUS PUBLIC SERVICE; in banner to left and rght of seal, HOME OFFICE / HARTFORD, CONN.

The medal's obverse bears human body reduced to its muscular structure; incuse stick and ball model of a chemical compound behind it. At bottom, ENDO LABORATORIES, INC.

The reverse bears a view of the Endo Laboratories research facility in Garden City. Around, ENDO LABORATORIES, INC. / GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK

he history of Endo can be traced back to 1920 to a family-run pharmaceutical company originally called Intravenous Products of America, Inc. In 1935 Intravenous Products of America, Inc. changed its name to Endo Products. After being acquired by DuPont in 1970 the company was spun off in 1994 and now acts as the DuPont-Merck's generics division.

The circular medal measures 75.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1964-051

The medal's obverse bears portrait of bespectacled Charles W. Eliot, facing left. To his right, Charles W. / Eliot; signed around bottom left, KILENYI

The reverse bears two laurel branches crossed over Harvard's book. Across center field, REPLICA / OF / MEDALLION / EXECUTED BY / J.F. NEWMAN / INCORPORATED / NEW YORK

Charles William Eliot (1834-1926) was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into one of the most famous universities in the world. Eliot served until 1909, having the longest term as president in the university's history.

Harry Waterson, the Kilenyi specialist, records this medal as a variant of a medal that's part of the Storer reference, catalogued as Storer1910a.  That medal has the subject's name at the top and the artist's signature in the right field.

The circular medal measures 41.2mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by J.F. Newman, Inc. of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   BG 27

References:   Cal FM-1974

References:   Murtha 211

This medal's obverse bears three robed female figures, two seated ones flanking standing one in the middle. In exergue, incuse inscription: DESMOND FITZGERALD MEDAL / INSTITUTED 1910

The reverse bears laurel branches behind ninscribed cartouche at bottom. Around, BOSTON SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS; in center field, AWARDED / FOR BEST ESSAY / IN ENGINEERING / TO

This beautiful medal was commissioned by Desmond Fitzgerald, a past President of the Society, to honor the author of the best paper published by a member of the Society during the year ending in the month of September. He donated the tidy sum of $2,000 to fund the medal. He reasoned that a medal wold be the best form for such a prize because the prize should be valued not for its intrinsic worth but solely as

"a testimonial that the holder of it has contributed something which his fellow members consider of great value to the engineering profession also that the evidence of having received such an award will be more available and less likely to be deposited where it can seldom be seen if the medal is of bronze rather than of precious metal."

The medal has a diameter of 76.3mm and was struck in bronze by the U.S. Mint. Mint records indicate that 18 pieces were struck at the order of Brenner in November of 1911.

The plaquette's obverse bears lovingly detailed, massive turbo generator before city skyline. Around cupola top, WORLD POWER CONFERENCE / 1936; across exergue, TURBO-GENERATOR-CAPACITY 160.000 K·W· 1936 / CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, INC·; signed above exergue at right, R. P. Chambellan Sc.

The reverse bears street view of Edison's first generator central station with laurel wreath at top left and tree at right. Across bottom, FIRST EDISON CENTRAL STATION - 1882 / 6 GENERATORS-TOTAL CAPACITY 1200 H·P·

The World Power Conference was conceived by the Scotsman Daniel Dunlop in 1923.  He organized the first meeting which took place in London in 1924 and attracted 1,700 attendees from 40 nations. It was deemed so successful that the conference was established as a recurring event.

In the beginning, the World Power Conference convened on a regular schedule every six years. The Third World Power Conference of 1936 met from September 7th to 12th in Washington, DC.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the conference on September 11th and used a golden key to activate a small generator at the Builder Dam in Colorado.

In 1968 the name was changed to World Energy Conference and the conferences were scheduled every three years. In 1992 the group changed its name again and became known as the World Energy Council.

The year of 1936 also marked the rebranding of the New York Edison Company to Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. This is probably the reason that this handsome plaquette was issued on the occasion of the conference. From the humble beginnings of the first power plant on Pearl Street in 1882, the company would eventually grow into a behemoth with approximately $13 billion in annual revenue and $47 billion in assets by 2016.

This is a beautiful Machine Age gem by Chambellan. I admit that I am partial to detailed renditions of technology, but Chambellan masterfully combined the machinery in the foreground with a city skyline and subtle sun rays in the background.  The overall effect is pleasing and powerful at the same time.

The plaquette measures 114.4mm x 84.2mm and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1936-042