All Medals

References:   Marqusee 219,220

The uniface medal's obverse bears city view of Baltimore with Washington Monument in center and Sherwood Brothers S logo at bottom. Around, FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY SHERWOOD BROTHERS INCORPORATED / 1896 - 1946; to left of monument, WASHINGTON / MONUMENT / BALTIMORE / MARYLAND

The circular medal measures 75.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Whitehead-Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey.  No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears a black-crowned night heron shown from behind, its head turned to the right, perching on a slender branch; concave circle behind bird's head is suggestive of the moon.

The reverse depicts a perching bird, a leafed branch overhead, looking downward to the left with its wings lifted about to fly. Across, Brookgreen / Gardens / SOUTH / CAROLINA; signed at bottom right, HW

Heidi Wastweet enjoyed Brookgreen Gardens' Artist-in-Residence program in 2015 and sketched the native herons during visits to the Cypress Aviary of the Lowcountry Zoo.

Heidi Wastweet won the American Medallic Sculpture Association's American Medal of the Year Award 2018 for this design. It took three rounds of voting before her medal beat out over 40 other designs that had been submitted. 

The almost square medal measures 75.8mm x 76.3mm and was struck in bronze. The mintage is reported to be around 1,000 pieces.

References:   BG 45

The medal's obverse bears an allegorical female figure holding a lamp and an olive branch in outstretched arms, standing in front of a globe, clouds below.

The reverse bears two cornucopias arranged like wreath, tied with ribbon at bottom. In center, PAX; signed around lower right, TIFFANY & CO.

The design on the obverse is based on a medal by J.G. Hancock celebrating the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. 

The circular medal measures 29.1mm in diameter and was issued by an organizing group called the American Peace Centenary Committee. It was struck in sterling silver by Tiffany & Co. of New York.  No mintage is reported. 

There is also a better known larger diameter medal with a different reverse.

Many thanks to the Numismatic Department of the Yale University Art Gallery for their generosity and support in making this medal available to me for research.

The obverse bears human body with circulatory system over a head facing right. Around, MEDICINE - THE RELIEF OF SUFFERING AND PRESERVATION OF LIFE; signed at lower right, M HIBBIT

The reverse bears same head, this time facing left. Legend completely filling head, THE GREAT / EXPERIMENT / THAT MAN BEGAN / UPON HIMSELF / MEDICINE / IS NOT YET ENDED / NOR WILL IT EVER / BE COMPLETED / 1974

The medal's obverse bears bare-chested Simeon, facing, sun to his left, building and palm trees to his right.At upper left, SIMEON; signed in exergue, © 1970 - E. WEISTROP

The reverse bears Star of David, symbols and names from all twelve medals. In center, THE / TWELVE / TRIBES OF / ISRAEL

Simeon, Jacob's second son, along with his brother Levi, slew the prince of Shechem and destroyed the city in revenge for their sister Dinah's rape or seduction (apparently sources and interpretations differ). They sold their brother Joseph into slavery. As the notes in the collectors edition box quote:

"The descenants of Simeon will many of them be poor men who will wander from tribe to tribe and beg for bread."

This is the second medal in Elizabeth Weistrop's Twelve Tribes of Israel series. The circular medal measures 43mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintages are reported.

References:   MACo 1969-100-010, TToI 2

References:   BG 30

The obverse bears lazy man asleep under stylized tree, blazing sun overhead, snail in sleeper's shadow at left. Below THOU SLUGGARD; at lower edge of figure, J. de Coux ©

The reverse bears three ants communicating with antennae amid grass. Around, GO TO THE ANT CONSIDER HER WAYS / (thistle) AND BE WISE (sunflower)

Janet de Coux based her medal on Proverbs 6:6:

Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
Consider her ways, and be wise;
Which having no chief,
Overseer or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer,
And gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep?
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as an armed man.

This medal was chosen as the 25th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1942. It measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company of New York which struck 767 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

References:   MACo 1930-001-025, Marqusee 116, SoM 25

The plaquette's obverse bears bust of Josiah K. Lilly facing right. Below, signature J. K. Lilly; signed in bottom right corner, KILENYI.

The plaquette's reverse bears 13-line inscription, 1876 / COMMEMORATING / THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY / OF THE FOUNDING OF / ELI LILLY AND COMPANY / AND / THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY / OF THE CONNECTION WITH / THE COMPANY OF / JOSIAH KIRBY LILLY / ITS / BELOVED PRESIDENT / 1926

Josiah K. Lilly Sr. (1861-1948) started working at Eli Lilly and Co., the company his father had founded, when he was 14 years old, eventually becoming chairman of the board.