Leonardo enigma . . . . .

ZoidMeister

Greeting Folks,

I typically buy exonumia pieces when they first catch my eye, and long before I've had any chance to do any research on them. I am typically pleasantly surprised by the history and provenance each piece brings with it. Most of my purchases don't end up being particularly rare or noteworthy, but I am sometimes surprised.

This particular token, I bought because of my fascination for it's subject, it was cheap, and the design elements reminded me of some of Ron Landis's well known Renaissance Faire tokens and medals.

After I received this one, I started Googling around a bit and was surprised at the lack of information on it. I couldn't even find much information on the event where it was sold / distributed. One would think that an event such as the 1940 New York World's Fair would have a lot of information available, but alas, I am coming up with nothing.

Most images I find from this event make it look more like a "county carnival" than a "World's Fair."

Has anyone seen one of these before and know of it's origins?

Thanks in advance.

Z

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Leonardo Da Vinci Medal

Obverse: Leonardo Da Vinci - portrait over stylized globe
Reverse: Exhibition Of / Leonardo / Invention / New York / 1940 / (microscopic near border - JOHNSON)

Material: brass, 28.5mm, 8.7g

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U1chicago

There was the 1939 New York World's Fair which went from April 1939 to October 1940. It seems possible that the exhibit of Leonardo's works was connected to that event.

I also found this website (it might offer some more clues):
http://www.artefactsconsortium.org/Meetings/AbstractsMilanxxF.html

Hydrant

Interesting find. I like it.

jmlanzaf

https://www.amazon.com/Exhibition-Scientific-Achievements-Leonardo-Vinci/dp/B001949QVA

jmlanzaf

from wikipedia 1939 World's Fair entry

Communications and Business Systems Zone
Fairgoers walking to the north of the Theme Center on the Avenue of Patriots would encounter the Communications and Business Systems exhibits. The focal point of this area was the Communications Building, a large structure with a pair of 160-foot-high (49 m) pylons flanking it.[18]:73[19]:39

At the AT&T Pavilion the Voder, a mechanized, synthetic voice, spoke to attendees, foretelling the widespread use of electronic voices decades later.[18]:77 The Business Systems and Insurance Building, an L-shaped structure, housed numerous companies such as Aetna, MetLife, and IBM. In particular, the IBM pavilion displayed electric typewriters and an "electric calculator" that used punched cards.[18]:79

Next door to these business exhibits, on the "Street of Wheels", was the "Masterpieces of Art" building housing 300 priceless works of the Old Masters, from the Middle Ages to 1800. Whalen and his team were able to borrow paintings and sculptures from Europe. Thirty five-galleries featured great works from DaVinci and Michelangelo to Rembrandt, from Hals to Caravaggio and Bellini.[18]:81–82

ZoidMeister

What strikes me about this piece, other than the Ron Landis feel to it, is it's overall design quality. It has a distinctive coin "ring" when you drop it on a hard surface. It is well struck, aside from the wear, and doesn't feel like a casually struck piece. The strike makes it look like the planchet is an "irregular cob" but measurements with a caliper says otherwise.

I usually find a bazillion examples of whatever I buy on Google, fleaBay, or Etsy. I'm coming up fairly empty searching for this one.

Z

jmlanzaf

https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/171311

ricko

Nice looking token, surprised there isn't more information available. Cheers, RickO

Mr_Spud

I have a DaVinci one that is similar, if not identical. I’ll look for it this weekend and if I find it I’ll post a picture. I have a whole bunch of medals from that same Worlds Fair, including one or two that have HK numbers, like this one I imaged recently

ZoidMeister

Well, I couldn't just leave this one "unattributed" so I listed it on the Token Catalog site. It is now officially TC# 601569.

Here is a link to it's registration page.

http://tokencatalog.com/token_record_forms.php?action=DisplayTokenRecord&td_id=601569

Z

jmlanzaf

@ricko said:
Nice looking token, surprised there isn't more information available. Cheers, RickO

Some internet sources suggest it was one of a series of souvenir tokens that traveled with the exhibit.

ZoidMeister

@Mr_Spud said:
I have a DaVinci one that is similar, if not identical. I’ll look for it this weekend and if I find it I’ll post a picture. I have a whole bunch of medals from that same Worlds Fair, including one or two that have HK numbers, like this one I imaged recently

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I absolutely LOVE the shape and design of that one. Kudos on it's acquisition!

Z

ZoidMeister

@jmlanzaf said:
https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/171311

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Wow, thanks for that link. I guess that makes this piece "Museum Quality" . . . . . . right?

LOL

Z

2dueces

Love to see another DaVinci exhibition in the United States sometime in the near future.

Mr_Spud

Here’s mine, along with 2 other unusual medals from the same Worlds Fair. There’s some kind of lamination/planchet flaw going on in DaVinci’s beard. Also mine doesn’t have the date on it like the OP. I like the Bakelite medal thing a lot, but don’t know anything about it. I have a few more from the same Worlds Fair lying around somewhere too.

Mr_Spud

There’s a couple different versions of the same DaVinci medal on eBay right now
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leonardo-da-vinci-medal-/293039069490?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Medal-Leonardo-da-Vinci-Vici-/324462770269?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Copper-MEDAL-LEONARDO-DA-VINCI-years-60-/113680636841?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

This one claims it’s from the 1970s
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leonardo-Da-Vinci-Token-Coin-Medal-Copper-1970s-Souvenir-Italy-/333591748358?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292