All Medals

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

References:   ANS 38, Baxter 182, MACo 1919-003

The medal's obverse bears eagle holding sprig of laurel in its beak, shield with star in background. Legend reading AMERICAN NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION / 121ST / ANNIVERSARY / CONVENTION / AUGUST / 7-11 / 2012 / PHILADELPHIA

The reverse bears portrait of David Rittenhouse, slight left, gear wheel and stars in background, his signature along left edge. Signed with artist's JNF monogram at lower right.

David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) was a renowned American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, instrument craftsman and public official.  He was a member of the American Philosophical Society and served as the the first director of the U.S. Mint.

The circular medal measures 69.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medalcraft Mint of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The mintage was limited to 100 pieces.

The medal's obverse bears shoulder-length portrait of Native American woman within central roundel, facing left, surrounded by ornate border of fruit and flowers with four superimposed circular medallions bearing letters "XX", "C", "I", and "A," counter-clockwise.

The reverse bears large flower at center, surrounded by legend within line border, XX CONGRESSO-INTERNACIONAL DE AMERICANISTAS / RIO DE JANEIRO / 1875 BRAZIL 1922

The International Congress of Americanists is an international academic conference for research in multidisciplinary studies of the Americas. Established August 25, 1875 in Nancy, France, the scholars' forum has met regularly since its inception, presently in three year increments, with the exception of World War II. Its meeting location alternates between Europe and the Americas. Congress members come from a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, art, education, economy, geography, history, human rights, law, philosophy, linguistics, sociology, and urban studies.

The circular medal measures 61.5mm in diameter and was struck in copper. Neither mintage, nor mint, nor artist are known to me.

The medal's obverse bears portrait of Daniel Coxe. Around, DANIEL COXE · PROVINCIAL · GRAND MASTER / NEW YORK · NEW JERSEY · PENNSYLVANIA; flanking portrait, 1730 - 1732; signed on truncation at right, A. PIETZ

The reverse bears wreath, bible, and various masonic symbols like hammer, spatula, eye in the sky. Across, IN COMMEMORATION OF / TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF / FREEMASONRY IN PENNSYLVANIA / CELEBRATED OCT.11,12,13,14, 1931 / BY THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL / GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA

Colonel Daniel Coxe (1673-1739) is a colorful person in American history. He was the son of Dr. Daniel Coxe, who was the exceedingly wealthy Royal Physician of King Charles II and Queen Anne. Coxe Sr. had purchased extensive land grants in the colonies, including a parcel of land called "Carolana" which included present day Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Aransaw, and Oklahoma. Despite owning such huge tracts of land and being the Governor of West Jersey, he never left England. His son is thought to have come to the New World in 1701.  He became generally despised by the Quaker population whom he repressed and persecuted and finally lost a lot of influence when the new Governor ousted him from various leadership positions in 1713.  He left for England to regroup and build a new powerbase and returned in 1723, setting the stage for the infamous Coxe Affair. He had worked diligently to have the sale of a large tract of land by his father declared invalid and threatened the current inhabitants with eviction. By subverting the legal system, he managed to win his case, which led to outright violent rebellion.

The circular medal measures 76.1mm in diameter and was struck in bronze. Neither mint nor mintage are known to me.

References:   Marqusee 230

The medal's obverse bears female figure holding stylized caduceus in one hand, other held high, pointing to the right; symbols of industry and agriculture including steam train, telegraph wires, factories, corn cobs in background and at figure's feet. Around, TRANS-MISSISSIPPI AND INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION. / OMAHA; below, U.S.A / 1898

The medal's reverse bears wreath fashioned from two branches.  Below, S.D. CHILDS & CO. ENGRAVERS. CHICAGO.

The circular medal was struck by S. D. Childs & Co. of Chicago.

The uniface medal's obverse depicts a young woman sketching. Around, SCHOOL ART LEAG-UE OF NEW YORK CITY; on foot rest, FOR MERIT; in exergue, 19 (JF monogram) 15

The edge bears maker's mark MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y.

The medal is also known as the John W. Alexander Medal. Alexander (1856-1915) was a painter and illustrator who died in 1915 and was commemorated by this medal.

The medal measures 68mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its mintage is not reported.

References:   Baxter 155, MACo 1915-002, Marqusee 154

The medallion's obverse bears nude Mercury, head turned towards left. He is soaring above harbor, city skyline to left and large freighter approaching from right. At left and right, 1850 - 1925; signed around bottom right, ARTHUR LEE

The reverse bears anvil with scroll above surface. Around, THE WELL-BEING OF MEN IS FORGED ON THE ANVIL OF INDUSTRY / & MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CHANNELS OF TRADE; above anvil, MARCH 28 · 1925; scroll inscribed with WALTER E. FREW

The edge is marked GORHAM CO FOUNDERS OFCI

The medallion celebrates the 75th anniversary of Lehman Brothers, a finance firm whose storied career came to an infamous end in 2008 when its bancruptcy declaration triggered a global financial crisis. In 1925, the year of this medallion's issue, Lehman Brothers had just added its first non-family partner and was rapidly becoming one of the premier investment banks of the world. Often working in conjunction with Goldman Sachs, they brought such giants as Sears, Roebuck & Co., Woolworth, Gimbel Bros., R. H. Macy, Studebaker and Goodrich Co. to market.

This particular medallion is inscribed to Walter E. Frew (1864-1941), who was Chairman of the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company from 1929 to his death in 1941. Lehman Brothers handled a large stock issuance for the company and this medallion was probably given to him as a deal memento.

Arthur Lee was called upon again twenty-five years later to create a medallion for Lehman's 100th anniversary. That later version was smaller but shared this medallion's general design, with the exception of different dates and a slightly different legend on the reverse. It was manufactured by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

The circular medallion measures 122mm in diameter and was cast in bronze and gold-plated by the Gorham Company of Providence, RI.

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