A medal?? Or a chest to pin it on??
keets
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How many Coin collectors have non-coins in their collection, items such as medals, tokens or other Exonumia?? After finding some remarkable items in eBay searches it ocurred to me that the percentage is probably low. Also, wasn't it the John Ford Collection that's been being sold the last year or two which has seen non-U.S. coins sold in the first several auctions with record prices realized for items like tokens and encased postage stamps?? That should bear some kind of testimony to the collectibility of Exonumia.
Medals actually pre-date our coinage with regard to Congressional Authorization yet I'd almost bet that many advanced collectors scarcely pay such items notice. We're not talking about trashy, second rate items, either. Some/Many are designed and the dies for striking engraved by those artists we hold in high regard for what they've given us in terms of circulating coinage. Further, medals are almost universally struck in higher relief.
I find from studying medallic art that most of what we see on circulating coinage is based on prior medallic renditions, either in whole or as the basis for inspiration. Has anyone else noticed these things?? What specific areas do you find interesting if you collect Exonumia?? What got you started and how do you store/display your collection??
Thanks in advance.
Al H.
Medals actually pre-date our coinage with regard to Congressional Authorization yet I'd almost bet that many advanced collectors scarcely pay such items notice. We're not talking about trashy, second rate items, either. Some/Many are designed and the dies for striking engraved by those artists we hold in high regard for what they've given us in terms of circulating coinage. Further, medals are almost universally struck in higher relief.
I find from studying medallic art that most of what we see on circulating coinage is based on prior medallic renditions, either in whole or as the basis for inspiration. Has anyone else noticed these things?? What specific areas do you find interesting if you collect Exonumia?? What got you started and how do you store/display your collection??
Thanks in advance.
Al H.
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Comments
Ken
are those more of the Club medals you had earlier this year??
al h.
Yes, and these are silver!
Ford's collection contained some material that was so rare, so obscure (and frankly so bizarre) that it rarely if ever comes on the market. For the limited number of people who collect some of these things, the Ford auction was very likely a once in a lifetime occurance and thus not a good measure of the collectability and salability of more run-of-the-mill exonumia.
rainbowroosie April 1, 2003
hey CCU
i love the heck out of it when someone helps me make my point in the manner you have. there are many medals which are currently what might be termed eccentric----almost bizzare----and are already rare/scarce, they have been as a result of their limited mintages. they have documented historical value/perspective and designs which enough collectors find attractive that there is a base of interest in obtaining them. similar, to me, at least, to such items as encased postage stamps.
God Bless John Ford and those before him for bringing them to the current day. the foresight of those early collectors is why the limited number of people who collect some of these thingsare able to pay the high price to own them. wouldn't you agree that back in the mid 1800's many of those items were already so rare, so obscure (and frankly so bizarre) that only a handful recognized them as worthy of collecting?
al h.