Medals relating to War

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 the Allied arms on shield over American Eagle. Around, DO · RIGHT / AND · FEAR - NO · MAN; on shield, AD - 1916; on wings, COPYRIGHT / SPICER · SIMSON

The reverse bears American shield with stars and sripes framed by two laurel branches; under stars, APRIL · VI · MDCCCCXVII ·. Around, : THAT · GOVERNMENT · BY ·THE · PEOPLE · SHALL · NOT · PERISH; above and below shield, © / T · S · S; under right branch GORHAM CO.

The motto on the obverse is taken from the inscription of George Washington's dress sword. A limited but unknown number of these large medals were offered at a cost of $20 in bronze and $30 in silver. The medal was conceived by the American Fund for French Wounded with the profits supporting relief work for French soldiers and civilians.

The circular medal measures 63.4mm in diameter (74.8mm with loop) and was struck in bronze and silver by the Gorham Company. No mintage is reported.

References: Baxter 315, Marqusee 362

This medal was the 37th official issue of the American Numismatic Society.

The obverse bears conjoined busts of Belgium's King and Queen facing left. Below, streamer with legend FORTISSIMI - SUNT - BELGAE; at bottom, ANS sigil. Around, KING * ALBERT * AND * QUEEN * ELISABETH * OF * THE * BELGIANS; signed (TSS monogram) in lower left field.

The reverse bears channel seascape with low-flying bi-plane, clouds, and flying bird. Around, COMMEMORATING - THEIR - AERIAL - CROSSING - OF - THE - ENGLISH - CHANNEL - JULY - MDCCCCXVIII; signed below waves, T. SPICER-SIMSON

The medals are edge-stamped MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y. and inscribed with a number.

This medal was issued by the American Numismatic Society to commemorate the flight of the king and queen of Belgium to England on the occasion of King George and Queen Mary's silver anniversary. The celebrations took place in London on July 6th, 1918.

The latin quote on the obverse is an abbreviation from the opening paragraph of Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War—"(Horum eorum) fortissimi sunt Belgae", meaning "The bravest of these are the Belgians." It is easy to forget that the year was 1918 and World War I was still being fought in Europe. Flying across the Channel by itself was not yet a common endeavor, but doing it during an active war was certainly a display of courage that cold not help but boost morale.

The medal measures 63.8mm (2.5in) and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York in bronze and silver. As with all early ANS medals, the mintage is very low; only 97 medals were struck in silver and 136 in bronze. Originally, the silver medals were sold for $10 and the bronze medals for $5.

References: Baxter 160, Eimer 1961, Johnson 32, MACo 1918-009, Marqusee 365, Storer 960

This is the 34th official issue of the American Numismatic Society.

The obverse bears softly modeled and beautiful head of Victory (r.), wearing helmet decorated with the lilies of France, the oak leaves of Britain and the pine of the United States. Around, TO COMMEMORATE THE VISIT TO NEW YORK - OF THE FRENCH AND BRITISH WAR COMMISSIONS 1917; signed on collar, D C FRENCH.

The reverse bears allegorical group of three figures. On the right, standing figure of female Liberty holding sword, greeting figures of Joan of Arc and medieval knight representing France and England. Signed at lower right, E.B.LONGMAN / SC. 1917.

The medal is numbered and edge-marked MEDALLIC ART CO. N Y.

The United States officially entered World War I in 1917 and quickly tried to coordinate the war effort with the the European allies. The French and British delegations were first to arrive and were given a spectacular reception. New York mayor John Purroy Mitchel had put together a Committee of Reception that was in charge of organizing the event. As part of the activities, the committee and the American Numismatic Association (ANS) teamed up to issue this commemorative medal. They engaged Daniel Chester French and Evelyn Longman to design the two sides of the medal. Evelyn Longman was one of French's students and the first woman sculptor to be elected a full member of the National Academy of Design in 1919.

Barbara Baxter considers this medal one of French's "most outstanding pieces," the other one being his American Red Cross medal.

The medal measures 63.4mm (2.5in) and was struck in bronze, silver and gold by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The mintage is 5 in gold, 109 in silver and 171 in bronze.

References: Baxter 317, Marqusee 180

This medal's obverse bears worker about to strike snake on anvil with sledge hammer; howitzer in the background. Around, PRESENTED BY THE AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY; below, 1917-1918.

The reverse bears Columbia walking l. with palm frond; Statue of Liberty and sun in distance. On left, FOR SERVICE FAITHFULLY RENDERED; lower right, CB - JK.

The medal was presented to the company's employees for their faithful service during World War I. Accompanying the medal was a card containing the following message from William H. Woodlin, the President of the American Car and Foundry Company:

"The enclosed honor medal is awarded as an evidence of the appreciation by this Company of the work by you on its munition contracts, and as a lasting testimonial of the service rendered by you as an industrial soldier in the winning of the great war."

The signature CB - JK inidicates that the medal was a collaboration between Beach and Kilenyi (maybe design and sculpture) but I did not manage to find any evidence supporting the nature of their collaboration. Any additional evidence or a scan of the enclosed card would be appreciated.

This medal measures 63.5mm in diameter and was struck in bronze, silver, and 14k gold by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, RI. The silver is very rare and the gold exceedingly rare but the mintages are not reported.

References: Marqusee 52

The obverse bears kneeling nude female figure gazing upwards in supplication. At bottom, PEACE; signed at bottom left, EMIL FUCHS

The reverse depicts a fight between two muscular nude male figures, one almost cowering, the other looming above him in almost theatrical pose. WAR inscribed in the exergue; signed at bottom left, EMIL FUCHS

The bottom edge is marked with "PAT PENDING" CARTIER NEW YORK - PARIS - LONDON; numbered 24 on left edge.

This medal was issued by Cartier and struck to commemorate the Treaty of Versailles marking the end of World War I. Miller also notes that

"Fuchs had previously submitted a design to the American Numismatic Society for its Peace medal. The Society eventually awarded the commission to Chester Beach. Although there is no documentation to support this theory, it is possible that this medal reflects that rejected design.

The medal measures 48mm x 70mm and was struck in bronze and silver by Cartier.

References: Miller 44, Baxter 322, Marqusee 190

This medal was the 42nd issue of the American Numismatic Society.

The obverse bears bust-length profile image of soldier wearing helmet. Signed below bust, DCF.

The reverse bears image of nurse attending injured soldier depicted within cross. Above, THE AMERICAN RED CROSS; to left and right of vertical bar of cross, TO COMMEMORATE - THE VISION AND / ACHIEVEMENT OF - THE WAR COUNCIL / 1917 - 1919; signed below cross, WHL / DCF.

The medal is numbered and contains the maker's mark MEDALLIC ART CO. NY.

This medal was co-issued by the American Red Cross and the American Numismatic Society in 1920. Daniel Chester French designed it and the Medallic Art Company executed it. The initials of Reverend William H. Low in the medal's reverse were included due to his suggestion that the the nurse stand in front of the bed.

The medal was awarded to twelve New York businessmen who volunteered for the War Council of the American Red Cross. As the Red Cross Bulletin Vol. IV No. 51 (December 13, 1920) states:

"The General Board also presented to the four members of the Wat Council who were present the special Daniel Chester French medal, authorized at its last meeting in recognition of their war service. These were Eli Wadsworth, Cornelius N. Bliss Jr., George E. Scott and Charles D. Norton. The eight other members of the War Council who will receive their medal are Henry P. Davison, chairman; William Howard Taft, George B. Case, Jesse H. Jones, Edward N. Hurley, John D. Ryan, Grayson M., P. Murphy, and Harvey D. Gibson."

The medal measures 70mm (2.75in) and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 12 pieces in gold, 4 in silver and 205 in bronze.

References: Baxter 237, Marqusee 176

This medal was the 43rd issue of the American Numismatic Society.

The obverse bears facing bust of Marshal Foch. Around, COMMEMORATING THE VISIT OF MARSHALL FOCH TO THE VNITED STATES; to left, MCMXXI; to right, A N S with oak leafs.

The reverse presents winged female figure holding shield, between the shields of France to the left and the United States to the right. Signed at lower left, (RA monogram ) / FECIT

Marshal Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929) was a French soldier, military theorist, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces in World War I.

The medal was issued by the American Numismatic Society (ANS) in 1921 to commemorate Foch's visit to the United States. Generals Foch and Pershing had coordinated their trips so that they would arrive more or less simultaneously, even though they were sailing on two different ships. Pershing arrived on Friday, October 28, 1921, two hours before Foch arrived on the Paris. He was given a hero's welcome by the entire city.

The medal measures 64mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 1 piece in gold, 94 in silver, 205 in bronze and 1 piece in copper.

References: Marqusee 5

This medal was chosen as the 19th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1939.

The obverse bears kneeling mother with child cowering before Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in sky above; serpent-like gas mask at her knee, castle and ancient ruin in background. In exergue, THE OLD WORLD / 1939; in lower field, E. McCARTAN / ©

The reverse bears mother in 1930s dress with book and child, basket of flowers by her knee, skyscrapers left, forst right, under radiant sun. In exergue, THE NEW WORLD / 1939

At the time this medal was being designed the situation on the European continent had deteriorated so much that all-out war seemed likely. America seemed far-removed from the insecurities and problems that the old world was facing. Americans looked over the Atlantic and were very much disinclined to get involved in yet another Great War. As McCartan wrote in his "From the Artist":

"The broad Atlantic Ocean thankfully isolates is from forces which destroy life and liberty and which impede the normal pursuit of happiness."

Of course, it did not turn out quite the way McCartan and many fellow Americans had hoped. America officially entered World War II in 1941 after already having provided substantial material assistance to its European Allies.

This medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported production quantity of this medal is 943 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver.

The uniface medal's obverse bears bust of female goddess of war or victory with helmet and spear. Around edge, ARTISTS FOR VICTORY INC. EXHIBITION; under truncation, METROPOLITAN / MUSEUM OF ART; at bottom, 1942; signed to right of helmet crest, C. L. SCHMITZ

The December 1942 Artists for Victory exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum was a huge artistic competition with prizes being awarded for hundreds of works in many different categories. The jury had to select from a pool of 14,000 works to come up with the still enormous collection of over 1,400 works that were exhibited and competed for awards. The "Sculpture" category alone contained 305 works.

The exhibition was widely criticized for its huge scale and the fact that the 44 award winners were spread throughout the massive show, making them hard to find and enjoy. One article stated that

"it would have been more humane to have arranged [the show] into 50 weekly exhibitions."

I don't know whether this medal was a design for an award or to promote the exhibition or maybe even an entry in the exhibition.I would appreciate more information about the medal's mintage and general background.

This medal was chosen as the 31st issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. The medal's obverse bears a medallic adaptation of Rosenthal's famous photograph of the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi. To right, IN TRIUMPH / SHALL WAVE.

The reverse bears truncated sword with hilt up over victor's palm. To left and right, FOR CONQUER - WE MUST; at lower edge, © - CHAMBELLAN SC.

In his "Message from the Artist" Chambellan wrote:

"One of the basic purposes of the medal is to commemorate important events... the soul-stirring group of the flag-raising on Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima has captured for all time one of these memorable historic flashes."

The medal measures 73mm in diameter. The Medallic Art Company of New York reportedly struck 1,501 medals in bronze and 60 (out of 700 authorized) in silver.

This medal was chosen as the 42nd issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1950.

The obverse bears man and woman holding baby; daisy at l., ear of wheat at r. Above, PEACE / IS / LIFE; below, © HOWARD

The reverse bears skull with gaping jaw; landscape with burning buildings, steeple, dead tree. Above, WAR / IS / DEATH

In the brochure accompanying the medal Howard wrote:

"The theme of this medal is so obvious as to demand very little explanation. I should like to say, however, the 'Life' and 'Death' as here used, are intended to mean not only physical life and death, but the preservation or destruction of civilization and moral values as well."

The medal measures 72mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported mintage is 842 pieces in silver-plated bronze.

This medal's obverse bears front-facing eagle in flight over ocean, holding wreath in its talons, between two rows of pylons; Statue of Liberty on horizon under wreath. Above, ERECTED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN PROUD / AND GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF HER SONS WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES IN HER SERVICE AND WHO SLEEP IN THE / AMERICAN COASTAL WATER OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN; below, INTO THY HANDS O LORD; under Statue of Liberty, MCMXLI - MCMXLV; signed at lower right, A.MANCA 1963 ©

The reverse bears an eagle in flight, talons clutching a branch of oak in front of mountains under sky with thirteen stars. At left, eternal flame burning on waves with number 4596 beneath. Above, WE SHALL PAY ANY PRICE / BEAR ANY BURDEN - MEET ANY HARDSHIP / SUPPORT ANY FRIEND - OPPOSE ANY FOE / TO ASSURE THE SURVIVAL OF LIBERTY / JOHN F. KENNEDY below around: EAST COAST MEMORIAL NEW YORK DEDICATED MAY 23, 1963. Signed and dated along edge at bottom, ALBINO MANCA 1963

The East Coast War Memorial honors the 4,596 missing American servicemen who lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean while engaged in combat during World War II between 1941 and 1945.

Erected in 1963 in Battery Park, at the southern end of Manhattan and designed by the architectural firm of Gehron and Seltzer, it was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy. The memorial's centerpiece is Albino Manca's massive, 23 feet tall bronze eagle, set on a black granite pedestal. It holds a laurel wreath and sits upon an ocean wave. This is to signify the act of mourning at sea.

The circular medal measures 64mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

References: MACo 1963-002

This medal was chosen as the 84th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1971.

The obverse bears four divided panels suggesting view of opened cardboard box surrounding recessed central square with four faces at l. registering increasing stages of fear and panic at serpents, insects, snails escaping at right. In left and right panels, PANDORA / ONE

The reverse has cross-like divided outer panels surrounding a recessed central square with mushroom cloud forming a death's head above corpse and serpents. In upper and lower panels, PANDORA / TWO; at lower right, EW 1971 ©

The medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported mintage is 1,223 pieces in bronze.

This design by Miko Kaufman was chosen as the 87th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. The medal's obverse bears a guitar playing youth with long hair. The reverse bears a soldier in uniform bearing a fallen or wounded comrade on his shoulder.

This medal uses the two sides to highlight the split that ran deep through American society in the 1970's. The Vietnam war had polarized society and alternative culture, symbolized by the guitar-playing youth on the obverse, was at odds with mainstream culture, symbolized by the soldier rescuing a wounded comrade on the reverse.

Kaufman wrote in the brochure that accompanied the medal:

"As a whole, this artist's timely message and reminder to those who care to reflect, as we are pulling out of the Vietnam morass, that all our knowledge and philosophy has yet to help tame mankind's worst enemy—man, himself."

The medal measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported mintage is 1,700 pieces in bronze and 175 in silver. This was the first new issue for which both bronze and silver medals were offered.