Very cool exonumia from 75th Anniversary of Gettysburg, 1938
DCW
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I was watching this on eBay, but it was one of those live auctions that you have to register to bid and the sellers never seem to get back to you.
Brought $3500 plus the juice!
From the auction:
GETTYSBURG 75TH ANNIVERSARY UCV / GAR REUNION COMMISSIONER'S BADGE, gilt brass, sterling silver, and enamel, engraved on verso for the Honorable Harry H. Woodring. Together with the Presidential appointment signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt for Harry Hines Woodring as member of the Commission to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, with additional signature of Secretary of State and Presidential seal. Two pieces total.
These badges were made in very limited numbers and were given specifically to the officials on the Commission. Harry Hines Woodring (1887-1967) served as Governor of Kansas from 1931 to 1933 at which point he was appointed Assistant Secretary of War under Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1936 he was promoted to Secretary of War by Roosevelt, serving until 1940.
Provenance:
Descended in the family of Harry Hines Woodring, Topeka., KS.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Comments
I have one of the veteran badges that was worn to the event by one of the "last of the blue and gray."
Just so happened to belong to my great great great grandfather, who fought in the NJ 34th volunteer infantry.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
It does not have a Gettysburg connection, but I have a letter written to my great-grandfather by Pres. FDR.
These are mementos of a bygone era when the President actually signed stuff other than legislation and executive orders (and even some of that was done by the autopen in the previous administration).
Very interesting items! What is even more amazing is that The last surviving Civil War veteran (a Union veteran), though not of this battle, lived until 1956. The last meeting of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1949 was attended by six veterans though two of them had passed away within a month of the meeting. I recall hearing a radio report of the death of the man who claimed to be the last surviving Confederate veteran in 1959 though he was later proven to be a fake.
They actually issued gold medals to the last veterans in 1956.
Well before the rise of gold, one was auctioned in the late 90s fir next to today's melt
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
And the last CW widow passed away in 2004 (she married a Confederate veteran in the 1920s).
Interesting !!!
Neat items guys.....Very historic !
@Wobie...Welcome aboard.... You will see many historical coins and medals here... One of the most captivating aspects of coin collecting is the history involved. Cheers, RickO
Hi, I'm new to this board. I was the winner of the auction at the top of this thread. The hanger was missing from the medal issued to Harry Hines Woodring. I had a jeweler make one and now the medal has been restored to its full glory.
Nice!
You had a jeweler make the top part? How did they know what it looked like, and how did they make it? That is real commitment to have it restored like that,
I knew what it was supposed to look like. Here is a picture from the official report of the 75th Reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg.
That is one nice medal. Worthy of restoration to the history of that battle. Peace Roy
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Here is a picture of Secretary of War Harry H. Woodring actually wearing the medal at the reunion. He is standing in the middle.
thats a way nice medal, i like
I missed the earlier part of the thread. I didn't realize this was the medal that was discussed previously. So you also have the FDR document. Nice group!
I wonder what the heck happened to the original hanger?? Maybe the original owner's kids or grandkids used to play with it and it broke??
Sounds like it went to a good home, where it will be appreciated for a long time! I think you got it at a great price. A fascinating relic of an important moment in our history.
I have a large group of items from the event that belonged to my ancestor. If you search Gettysburg 75th you can check out the thread.
Thanks for posting and welcome to the boards!
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
I just checked out that thread. You have a very nice collection. I also own a "matching Pair" Veteran & Attendant Medals (father & son). I also own a Distinguished Guest medal, a Championship Drum Corps Medal, and a Boy Scout Medal all for the 75th reunion. I can post some pictures if anyone has an interest in seeing them.
Well, heck yeah we want to see them!
I had thought at one time about trying to add to my personal collection of the 75th anniversary items, but it can get very expensive. In the end, I think I will leave the collection of personal items as is. That way, the family will know all of it came from our ancestor.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Here is a Boy Scout Medal from my collection of the 75th Reunion.
These are great medals.
What a simpler time....veterans from both sides were honored on the same memento.
There is a also a Boy Scout Patch that goes with the Medal. It is very rare. Here is a picture of the one in my collection.
Here is a very rare Championship Drum Corps medal from my collection. It was presented to the Best drum corps at the parade that took place at the reunion.
Sorry here is the picture
Here is a Press Credential (pinback) given to members of the press that were covering the event
Here is a souvenir sold to the public at the reunion.
One awesome thread!
Here is little booklet that was sold at the 75th reunion.
I live walking distance to Pickets Charge and collect reunion items. Here are my 2 favorites. This poster is the only surviving circus type advertisement that was hung up in town. I did have reprints made but they are much smaller and have random hidden markings in the print to easily identify it. 2nd is a pennant that was sold. Both are framed and behind UV glass
Even has a numismatic tie-in, mentioning the design of the Commemorative Half Dollar. All nice stuff!
That is dedication! The details are even correct with the two M's in COMMISSION going below the line of the other letters. That could not have been cheap, and the jeweler is a stickler to detail.
Booger9989, nice that you have the pennant in red ! I have one that is green & one that is blue.
Here is a "Matching Pair" Veteran & Attendant Medals issued to a Father & Son at the 75th Reunion. The Father is Jacob Lotz of Company I, 34th New Jersey Infantry and his son Charles F Lotz. The names are engraved on both medals.
That's pretty incredible family history there. Thanks for your family's service!
Thanks @Zoins. In my family, we have a proud history of military service.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Here is the Distinguished Guest Badge from my collection.
Of course the Eternal Light Peace Memorial was also dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the 75th Reunion. Here is a souvenir from that occasion that is from my collection.
You have a very impressive collection from the 75th Gettysburg Reunion.
Okay, I'm on a roll. I was at a collector show today and I purchased what a think is a very rare, possibly unique piece. It measures 12.5 inches in diameter and depicts one side of the Gettysburg half dollar. The other side is blank. I'm not sure of its composition other than to say it is made of metal. I think that it is way too detailed and too heavy to be any kind of knock off. I will include a picture below and I welcome all comments as to what this might be......Artist's rendering ? Promotional piece ? Wall hanging ???
Appears to be a decorative plate that would hang on a wall.
(I cant see someone having dinner off of it.)
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
I will include a couple more pictures. The relief is pretty high on this piece and it is heavy (solid). Seems like an awful lot of work for just a decorative piece. I did read online that there were large renderings for the committee to look at and after they approved a design then the piece had to be "reduced" to half dollar size. Is anyone familiar with this process ?? Could this be such a piece ??
I also forgot to mention one other important point. There is no makers mark anywhere on this piece.
@Gettysburgcollector
Welcome and thank you for sharing your collection ..... very focus and impressive!
Well, I finally had a chance to weigh the metal disk pictured above. I know that I intimated that it is very heavy and very detailed but sometimes it's hard to convey a message over the Internet. This piece weighs 2.65 LBS. (pounds) and I tremendously doubt that it is wall decoration. There is nothing on the back that you could mount it to and once again there is no makers mark on this piece. If it was a mass produced souvenir I do believe that the name of the manufacturer would appear somewhere on the piece.
I do have a theory as to what it might be. I think that it was made from a plaster mold that was engraved by the artist who designed to coin. I think that it is an oversized model (preliminary plaque) that was viewed by the committee that had to approve its design. See pictures and newspaper article below that I located thru researching this piece.and please comment if anyone has any thought or ideas.
Awesome collection @Gettysburgcollector
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/publishedset.aspx?s=142753
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
Let's ask our resident minter, @dcarr .
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Just a decorative piece IMO. Too crude to be anything else.
Do you think that Mr. Carr will actually answer ? I look forward to his comments if he does ! I'm here to learn from this board.
Very cool collection. I was lucky enough to acquire the half dollar several years ago and it is one of my favorite coins.
I think you might be on the right track. It's possible @CaptHenway or @FredWeinberg may be able to help you too.
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
Does not look like any Galvano that I ever saw. Please post an image of the reverse.
Design not the same as actual coin. On the actual coin the border lettering UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and BLUE AND GRAY REUNION are on a raised ring that is beveled away from the concave inner section.
https://www.coinworld.com/content/dam/cw/insights/2015/July/070615/American_History_on_coins_part_two/1936-Gettysburg-half-dollar.jpg
This design has the legends in the concave section with a plain outer ring beveled away from the design. POSSIBLY an artist's concept that the Mint later modified (they do that with outside artists' work sometimes) to include the bevel but under the legends.
That said, it just looks like something made to sell as a fancy souvenir or an attachment to a monument. Was it this shiny when you got it, or did you do anything to it?