All Medals

The plaquette's obverse bears U.S.S. Nashville at sea within roped border. At upper right, U.S.S. / NASHVILLE; signed at lower right, J · H · RIPSTRA

The reverse bears several lines of inscription, · ARRIVAL · OF · / · U · S · NASHVILLE · / · IN · CHICAGO · HARBOR · JUNE · 4 · 1909 · / · FIRED · FIRST · SHOT · / · IN · SPANISH - AMERICAN · WAR · / CHICAGO NUMISMATIC SOCIETY - · MEDALLIC · SERIES · 1909

The U.S.S. Nashville became famous for firing the first shot in the Spanish-American war. She captured four Spanish vessels and assisted in the cutting of the undersea cable to Cienfuegos. She was decommissioned in 1906 and transfered to the Great Lakes with her new homeport at Chicago.

This plaquette was the first art medal issued by the Chicago Numismatic Society, the precursor to the Chicago Coin Club.

The rounded ractangular plaquette measures 76mm x 38mm and was struck in bronze and silver. The reported mintage is 500 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver. The original price for a bronze was 75 cents and for a silver $2.50.

This medal's obverse bears image of four-engine stratoliner in flight above clouds. Around, TWA STRATOLINER CLUB - MEMBER

The medal's reverse bears same plane in flight from different perspective. Around, 4-ENGINE OVERWEATHER - STRATOLINER

The circular medal measures 32mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and sterling silver by the L.G. Balfour Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts.

The medal's obverse bears bust of Bishop facing left. In two lines around bottom half, · ROBERT · HAMILTON · BISHOP · FIRST · PRESIDENT · OF · / (leaves) MIAMI · UNIVERSITY (leaves); signed under truncation at right, EBH

The reverse shows college building with three bare trees, two flanking, one in front. Around top in three lines, WILLIAM · HOLMES · McGUFFEY : ROBERT · CUMMINGS · SCHENK : BENJAMIN · HARRISON / ·· DAVID · SWING ·· WHITELAW · REID ·· JOHN · SHAW · BILLINGS ·· / HENRY · MITCHELL · McCRACKEN : ANDREW · DOUSA · HEPBURN ·; in exergue, KIYOSHI TOMIZAWA / AWARDED FOR / MERITORIOUS PUBLIC / SERVICE / 1937

Robert Hamilton Bishop (1777-1855) was a Scottish-American who became the first President of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Before that he was an early sympathizer with the plight of black slaves. In 1815, he organized a Negro school at Pisgah in Woodford County, Kentucky, and in 1816 he opened a school for African-American girls at Transylvania. His 1824 history of the church in Kentucky gave credit to the slaves Peter Durrett and his wife for founding and building up the First African Baptist Church of Lexington, Kentucky. Late nineteenth -century histories noted only white churches in Kentucky.

Miami University maintains a page with all recipients of the Bishop Medal.

Issued by Miami University, the circular medal measures 70mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

The obverse bears allegorical winged female figure with spread arms holding victor's crown and branch, standing on pedestal; two women to left and right displaying objects to her. Around, BEAUTY - VIGOR - PURPOSE; signed in lower right quadrant, © 19 (GH monogram in triangle) 26

The reverse bears burning torch over gear, scales, and crossed pen and brush. Around, EXPOSITION OF WOMEN'S ARTS AND INDUSTRIES

The edge is marked MEDALLIC ART CO.N.Y.

The Exposition of Women's Arts and Industries seems to have been an event that started in the late 1910s or early 1920s (the seventh exposition took place in 1928) to provide female artists and designers a venue to display their creations without being crowded out by their male counterparts.

The medal measures 57mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The mintage is not reported.