All Medals

The medal's obverse bears a vague design of rocks and a female figure rising above them in a swirl of clouds. Signed at bottom left, (GB monogram)

The reverse bears legend and small branches of oak and laurel. Around, DAVID LIVINGSTONE CENTENARY; in center field, FOUNDED 1913 / BY / THE HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA / UPON THE OCCASION OF / THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY / OF THE BIRTH OF / DAVID LIVINGSTONE / TO BE AWARDED BY / THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY / OF NEW YORK / FOR SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF / GEOGRAPHY / IN THE / SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE; in cartouche around bottom, MANUEL VINCENTE BALLIVIAN 1917

The circular medal measures 75.6mm in diameter and was struck in gilt bronze by Tiffany & Company of New York.  No mintage is reported.

Images are courtesy of Stack's Bowers Galleries, www.StacksBowers.com.

References:   Baxter 251

References:   Baxter 272

The medal's obverse bears portraits of Ida Straus at left and and Isidor Straus at right, both in circular fields. Below fields, the couple's birthdays and their death day, - FEBRVARY SIXTH 1849 - and - FEBRVARY SIXTH 1849 - / APRIL FITEENTH NINETEEN HVNDRED AND TWELVE; signed at bottom right, L LENTELLI

The medal's reverse reads ISIDOR AND IDA STRAUS / JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, BROOKLYN, NY / AWARDED TO / (inscribed to HELEN WEISS) / FOR SETTING AN EXAMPLE / OF CONSCIENTIOUS EFFORT AND / LOYALTY TO SCHOOL AND AMERICAN IDEALS

Isidor Straus was a German-American businessman and, together with his brother Nathan, co-owner of department store Macy's. He also served briefly as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He died with his wife, Ida, in the sinking of the passenger ship RMS Titanic.

The rectangular medal measures 100.8mm x 73.6mm and was struck in bronze by the Gorham Company of Providence, Rhode Island.  No mintage is reported.

The plaque bears pegasus, facing left, with rider looking backwards towards large camera with tripod he holds in left arm; city below.

I only wish that my budget allowed me to own this beautiful Art Deco plaque. Cecere created a small masterpiece, probably for a studio or as an award plaque, but I have no details about it.  Any information on it would be welcome.

The rectangular cast bronze plaque measures 267mm x 342mm.

A heartfelt thank-you to Bob Jaeger from Renaissance Man Antiques for permission to use this image.

References:   MACo 1951-050

The medal's obverse bears portrait of John Deere,facing half right. Around, HE GAVE THE WORLD THE STEEL PLOUGH; in exergue, JOHN DEERE; signed over shoulder at left, KILENYI

The reverse bears steel plough. Around, JOHN DEERE / CENTENNIAL; in center field, 1837 / 1937

John Deere (1804-1886) is the founder of Deere & Company, better known under its brand name John Deere. Deere briefly attended Middlebury College in his homestate of Vermont before becoming the apprentice of Captain Benjamin Lawrence, a successful Middlebury blacksmith.  He started his own shop in 1826 but it failed in 1836.  In 1837 he left Vermont for Grand Detour, Illinois, and started a new shop which became the seed from which the well-known company grew.

His key invention was the steel plow, which solved the problem of the rich, fertile Midwestern soil sticking to iron plowshares, which in turn forced the farmers to stop frequently to clean them. The company grew quickly and in 1853 his son Charles joined him in the business.

John Deere served as President of the company till his death at the age of 82.

The circular medal measures 76.6mm and was struck in bronze by the Robbins Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts. No mintage is reported.

The medal's obverse bears central sun with planets arranged in spiral swirl around; God and Adam from famous creation scene with hands touching over sun; at upper right, circular field with two hands holding swirling universe; around field, What We Can Dream, We Can Accomplish In A New Millenium; decorative border swirl around medal that ends in 2000. Signed along inner spiral edge, S ADAMS

The reverse bears central sun with 2000 inside. Month panels arranged in circular fan around with planets in gaps between.

The design uses layers of creation imagery to depict the complexity of the approaching new millenium.

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

References:   Cal MC-2000

The medal's obverse bears image of a Native American doll that is part of the Tioga Point Museum collection. Around, TIOGA POINT MUSEUM / ATHENS, PA.; signed at right, SJF

The reverse bears an arrow point above a map of the Athens area where Chemung and Susquehanna rivers merge. Around, EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH

The Tioga Point Museum was founded in 1895 by Louise Welles Murray, archaeologist and historian, to give a permanent home to the wealth of history, archaeology, and the art and artifacts of world cultures in Athens, Pennsylvania. It has often been referred to as a "museum of a museum" because it unites disparate collections from various community members who had travelled the world.

References:   MACo 1925-041

The medal's obverse bears portrait of Jones in uniform, facing right. Around, JOANNI  PAVLO JONES / CLASSIS PRAEFECTO. / COMITIA AMERICANA.; signed under truncation, DUPRE. F.

The reverse bears smoking Bonhomme Richard, holed and with broken mast, facing left, in front of the foremast and bowsprit of Serapis; fighting sailors and rubbish are visible in the water and Alliance resides in the background. Around, HOSTIVM NAVIBVS - CAPTIS AVT FVGATIS.; in exergue, AD ORAM SCOTIAE XXIII SEPT. / M.DCCLXXVIIII · / DUPRE. F.

The Battle of Flamborough Head was a naval battle that took place on 23 September 1779 in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire between a combined Franco-American squadron, led by Continental Navy officer John Paul Jones, and two British escort vessels protecting a large merchant convoy. It became one of the most celebrated naval actions of the war, despite its relatively small size and considerable dispute over what had actually occurred.  Regardless, the myth of the battle is as important or maybe even more important than the actual battle.

Jones commanded a small squadron from the ship Bonhomme Richard, a converted India Trader.  When they ran into a large Baltic trade convoy under the protection of the HMS Seraphis and the hired vessel Countess of Scarborough,

Jones decided to attack.  With his ship outgunned and outclassed, he strove to equalize the odds by locking the ships together and engaging in close quarters combat.  With Jones' ship burning and sinking beneath him and most of his crew killed, so the story has it, Jones rejected requests for surrender by shouting "I have not yet begun to fight!" and "I may sink but I'll be damned if I strike!" 

When a lucky grenade caused a chain reaction of explosions on the British vessel, the USS Alliance finally joined the fight and the Seraphis surrendered.

The battle, while strategically unimportant, had a huge effect on the morale of the American and French Navies. The seemingly invincible British navy could be defeated in messy, gutsy battle.

As all Comitia Americana medals, there are numerous restrikes, both by the French Mint and the U.S. Mint, and I am not a specialist in this area of numismatics. Maybe a reader can help out with a guide on how to distinguish originals from later copies.