All Medals

References:   Cal MC-1997

This uniface medal's obverse bears a statue of St. Paul holding book and sword, facing left. Around, (flower) SCHOLA · SANCTi · PAULI (flower) EA · DISCAMUS · IN · TERRIS · QUORUM · SCIENTIA · PERSEVERET · IN · COELIS; in exergue, G · C · S / FUNDT / 1855

This beautiful school medal was made from Sterling silver by Tiffany & Co. No mintage is reported.

References:   BG 9

References:   BG 40

The medal's obverse bears two male golf players shaking hands over a hole, globe centered on North America in background. In exergue, CANADA CUP; signed above exergue at feet of right player, R·A·W

The medal's reverse bears wreath with streamers. Around, INTERNATIONAL GOLF TROPHY / TEAM MEMBER / PRESENTED BY / JOHN JAY HOPKINS

John Jay Hopkins (1893-1957) was the founder and first president of General Dynamics.  He created the golf World Cup, which began as the Canada Cup in 1953.  He also donated the trophy for the event.

References:   MACo 1953-031

The obverse bears a female head (alternatively representing Greater New York or Columbia) crowned with laurel in high relief, facing right.

The reverse depicts a full figure of nude male facing left, standing erect, pouring water from classic vase resting on his shoulder. On Left and right, TO COMMEMORATE - THE COMPLETION / OF THE CATSKILL - AQUEDUCT / AN ACHIEVEMENT - OF CIVIC SPIRIT / SCIENTIFIC GENIUS - AND FAITHFUL LABOR / 1905 NEW - YORK 1917

This is the 35th official issue of the American Numismatic Society.

This medal was authorized by the Medal subcommittee of the Mayor's Catskill Aqueduct Celebration Committee and issued by the American Numismatic Society (ANS).

Daniel Chester French won this commission through his acquaintance with Robert de Forest, with whom he served on the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and who also was the president of the Mayor's Catskill Aqueduct Celebration Committee. The committee was convened to organize the celebrations in honor of the completion of the massive Catskill Aqueduct project. Construction had started twelve years earlier in 1905. By 1917 a 163-mile long system of tunnels and pipes had been completed to transport water from the Catskill Mountains to New York City.

Although the medal is commonly credited to Daniel Chester French, the reverse was actually designed by both French and Augustus Lukeman.

In 1933, Clyde Curlee Trees, the President of Medallic Art Company chose French's beautiful female head as the symbol of his company and obviously gained permission to use the design in many different ways. The head became not only the company logo but also appeared on bronze replica medals that were struck in an unknown quantity. As late as 1979 the Medallic Art Company issued gold-plated struck bronzes in the small diameter.

The original medals measured 76mm in diameter and were cast by the Medallic Art Company in a quantity of 57 bronze and 23 silver pieces. 13 of the silver pieces were supposedly disposed of but other sources report that 12 silver pieces survived.

Later, an unknown number of the smaller 38mm diameter brones were struck by the Medallic Art Company.

References:   ANS 35, Baxter 245, MACo 1917-007, Marqusee 177

References:   Murtha 469

The uniface medal bears profile of Drew as Petruchio, right. Around top, JOHN DREW; to left and right, MAR· - XXII; below, MDCCCLXXIII · MCMXXIII

Farnham was commissioned to create a gold plaque commemorating 50 years of stage work by famed American actor John Drew. The plaque was awarded to Drew at a glittering dinner in New York City on March 25, 1923. Farnham created a 2 1/2 inch companion medal for the 350 dinner guests that evening.

The circular uniface medall was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company. The location of the gold plaque is currently unknown.

Many thanks to the creator of sallyjamesfarnham.org for the image and associated information.

References:   MACo 1923-021

The medal's obverse bears old man and youth's heads combined into Janus head in center. Around, a symbolic evolutionary circle starting with the sun at the top and continuing via lower life forms at the right to lion at the bottom and chain of technological achievements at left, all the way to atoms, leading back to the sun. Signed on truncation of Janus head, EL

The reverse bears calendar panel in center with chain of human life stages from baby at top right to old man at left. At top, 1977; signed at right bottom of calendar panel (VM monogram)

Both sides of the medal deal with the passage of time.  The Janus head is the traditional symbol for the transition from one year to the other.  The obverse deals with evolution and epochal time periods while the reverse deals with the stages of a human life and the process of aging.

While the medal's pamphlet claims that the obverse was designed by Don Everhart II and sculpted by Ernest Lauser, Don Everhart denies ever having worked on this medal. I tend to believe that he knows best what medals he worked on and just hope that the remainder of the information is more accurate.

The reverse was designed by Yves Beaujard and sculpted by Vincent Miller.

The circular medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Franklin Mint. No mintages are reported.  The silver variant was issued in a limited edition but I do not know the limit.

References:   Cal FM-1977

The medal's obverse bears woman standing in gate leading into formal garden. In exergue, AMERICAN DAHLIA SOCIETY

The reverse bears American Eagle bearing arrows, olive branch, and streamer reading ORGANIZED - MAY 10 1915. Underneath, AWARDED TO / (cartouche for inscription)

The American Dahlia Society (ADS) was founded in 1915 and is composed of over 70 independent local societies in the US and Canada. Today it is a non-profit organization for the purpose of stimulating interest in, disseminating information about, and promoting the culture and development of, the dahlia.

The medal measures 73.4mm x 47.1mm  and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.  No mintage is reported.