An Interesting Iwo Jima Medallic Pair

tokenpro

I've handled several hundred of the World War II U.S. Treasury Award silver medals over the years, mostly blank but many named. I figured that they were struck by the U.S. Mint as they are .900 silver and silver was not a strategic metal during WWII and just after.

I recently handled a WWII city award medal from East Liverpool, Ohio given to sons of the town that served in the military during the conflict. The reverse of the medal is a direct copy of the Treasury award medal with only the V replacing the War Finance legend. All the other devices & legend remain the same. The East Liverpool medal is the same diameter, bronze, originally had an attached loop but is on a slightly thinner planchet than the thick Treasury medal.

Some questions that come to mind -- Was the Treasury medal struck at the U.S. Mint? Was it designed at the Mint? By? Was the East Liverpool reverse struck from the same original but re-cut die? From a copy die? Struck by the Mint or a private company? Same sculptor? It's a seemingly simple pair of WWII medals that raise quite a few fun but important (to me at least) questions.

dcarr

I have not seen one like that before.
The softness of the details indicates that it was possibly made by taking a mold of a silver Treasury Award, modifying the mold, and then casting it. As such, it could have been made within that local municipality. It looks like your Liverpool medal had a loop removed ?

I have a few of the Treasury Award medals. I think about 60,000 of the Iwo Jima silver were produced. There are two rarer variations that I am aware of - both have the same Minuteman design on one side.

I believe about 2,000 were produced in the mid-1950s that do not have the Iwo Jima scene but instead have a wreath with a blank central rectangular area for engraving. These are always awarded (have an individual's name on them), and also a date (typically "1955" or "1956" although I have seen a couple dated in the 1970s). Technically, they are not "engraved" but rather stamped with character punches to imprint the name and date. All are silver like the Iwo Jima issue.

An even rarer one has an RCA (Radio Corporation of America) design instead of the Iwo Jima scene. These always have an awardee name on them and are silver plated bronze. They were likely issued in the 1960s or 1970s.

One of my Iwo Jima medals came in a box which is the same style as numerous Medallic Art Company medals. I believe that MACO made these. As such, they are probably sterling (.925 fine) rather than coin silver (.900 fine). The matte surface texture also points to MACO as being the producer, since the US Mint did not issue items with that type of antiqued finish.