An uncommonly nice Centennial medal.
keets
Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
I routinely search eBay and other auction sites for 1876 Centennial medals and came across this beauty ebay.com/itm/High-Grade-1876-57mm-Centennial-Mint-Medal-Julian-cm-11-/201808001277?hash=item2efcb1b8fd:g:eBkAAOSwo4pYbDoB while searching this morning. It isn't rare, probably an R-4, but this one is striking in its virtually as struck condition of preservation. I have several and since they are so large and heavy it is hard to imagine just how the medals remain undamaged and properly stored for as long as they have, no rub and no apparent contacts are visible.
If you have a nice example please post it along with the White Metal and Gilt Bronze brothers if you're fortunate enough to have a well preserved one. They just don't make stuff like they once did, a true tribute to the artisans of ages past.
Al H.
Comments
A beautiful medal indeed....I completely agree about artisans of the past.. their work is far superior to that we see today. A remarkable state of preservation there.... Cheers, RickO
Here is a four piece Philadelphia Centennial set which contains the large gilted bronze, white metal, small gilted bronze and silver pieces. These pieces are okay, but they are hairlined from the long term storage in the velvet lined box.
And here is a really nice example of the small silver piece.
And the box that housed it for many years. Fortunately the dealer who had the medal certified did not toss the box, perhaps at my request. I told him I didn't need to have an example certified, but that I really wanted the box to come with it.
I have an example of the large bronze medal with the box of issue, but it's not as nice as the example you showed, Keets.
And here is another Phildelphia Centennial medal which was awarded to those who mounted exhibits at the fair. This one is also in the original box. The box is in better shape than the medal!
That one is unusually nice! No meaningful discolorations either.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Bill, nice medals you have shown before and which remind me that there are others who like this stuff. your comments and pictures raise good points of discussion.
I am left wondering about the storage boxes and whether the set you have may at some point in the past been put together --- or --- the larger boxes allowed the medals to move around and hairline/rub more than the small single boxes. my feeling is that most probably when we see these medals with problems it's from mishandling and not storage. that's what's weird about the one I linked, it's gem state and no box.
have you noticed how the smaller medals all seem to have a weak strike in Miss Liberty's face while the larger medals are fully struck in that area?? since the design is identical I assume the dies all had the full design on both sizes, where is it on the small ones?? and the Gilt medals are an anomaly, they all look severely hairlined(as your picture shows) but it's really die polish of some type. I have one at PCGS that should grade MS64 and all I have seen look the same.
@keets posted, If you have a nice example please post it along with the White Metal and Gilt Bronze brothers if you're fortunate enough to have a well preserved one. They just don't make stuff like they once did, a true tribute to the artisans of ages past.
Good topic @keets.
Here is a photo of an H&K 20, Julian CM-10 U.S. Centennial Exposition Medal of 1876 struck in silver.
This medal was part of the Ostheimer Collection which I purchased en bloc around 2004. This is the plate coin in the second edition of So-Called Dollars by Hibler and Kappen, revised and edited by Hoffman, Hayes, Brecher, and Dean. The obverse is also plated on the cover of the second edition of the book.
Photo courtesy of W. David Perkins and Jeff Shevlin
W. David Perkins Numismatics - http://www.davidperkinsrarecoins.com/ - 25+ Years ANA, ANS, NLG, NBS, LM JRCS, LSCC, EAC, TAMS, LM CWTS, CSNS, FUN
Very nice color that medal keets!
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This a very nice example of that medal. Unfortunately, from an artistic standpoint the medal is strictly ordinary 19th century ... rather boring.
The box for the small silver medal held the piece by the edges. The obverse and reverse of the medal did not come in contact with anything except the chemicals that might have been in the box and the atmosphere. Most all of the original surface examples I have seen of this medal had deep blue toning. My certified medal does have a fingerprint. That is its worst sin. The fingerprint was probably put there when someone pushed the medal out of hole to take it out of the box and some undetermined point.
I believe that the large box and the medals that are in it have been together for a long time, probably since the time issue. Other than the hairlines, there are not scratches or spots on any of the medals. The medals are set into the holes. The holes don't grip the sides of the medals. The medals can move around slightly in the box. All of the medals in the box are hairlined in the same way, and it's not from cleaning. You can't clean the gilt medals and retain the finish, and the small silver medal has not been dipped or cleaned. It just has light hairlines.
Most all of the examples I have seen of the small medal have a poorly struck face of Ms. Liberty. The piece that WPD has additional weakness going down into her gown. I have seen that on other pieces.
Yes, there are many attractive 19th century medal designs, and the 1876 Centennial pieces are not among the best. Still the Centennial celebration was America's first true world's fair and has long been a source of interest to me.
I think they only seem boring because there was a specific design theme that was intended and the designers stuck to it religiously.
I like these medals and the one in the OP looks especially nice with the mahogany finish. However, I think the pose is a bit awkward and agree that some of the smaller ones do not have a full face. The one in the OP looks very will struck. The other pieces are nice as well. It's good to see the silver Ostheimer specimen.
In addition to these, I enjoy other 1876 Centennial pieces including the Libertas Americana merchant tokens and the George Bache Soley first steam press pieces.
I have a silver proof. Love the design.
Just ran across this one from John Sallay posted on E-Sylum. I'm a big fan of the old style engraving.
Here's the Ostheimer specimen photos posted by @WDP run through a color correction filter.
Here's one I bid on a while back but didn't win. I remember this auction well because I bid lower on a several lots and lost them. Looking back, I should have bid more on a few but it's also partially due to the fact I found the SB website a bit hard to use.
the Gilt CM-11 is a difficult medal to find in problem free condition, that looks like it would fit the bill. they are listed often enough on eBay but will typically have some type of disturbance in the field(s). I am willing to pay the long dollar for an example like the one you pictured but they just don't show up very often.