A fine example of a recently discussed Buffalo.
keets
Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
Whoa, Mama, this is a nice one!! I have trouble finding a lowly Silver example and then this shows up. Enjoy.
Al H.
6
Comments
HMMMMM. What was the City of Buffalo, New York named after?
Pete
French wording "Belle Fleuve" heard spoken by local Indians(tribe unknown by me) who transformed it to Buffalo.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Actually, it was derived from the creek that flows through it...'Buffalo Creek'... and yes, there are other theories, all considered anecdotal. Buffalo did range into western New York though. Cheers, RickO
Belle Fleuve means beautiful river.
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
So that's it. Thanks for the education.
I guess that's why they didn't call the town Bison.
Pete
Isn't the asking price a little steep???
Keet returning to the forum swinging!
That is crazy nuts nice! Thank you Keet for sharing with everyone this natural beauty.
So tasty we could all snack on it.
How much are you charging for yours?
😉
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Better of 2 known, description says.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
My, My, is that a beautiful object or what?
Isn't the asking price a little steep
well now, let's examine that from a reasonable perspective: it is immensely more dramatic/stylistic/symbolic/beautiful than any circulating US Coin and is one of only two examples known that were struck in Gold. to my way of thinking it "shames" things like the 1804 King of Siam Dollar and is a bargain at the current price. if only.........................
I will add, the above is, of course, JMHO.
That price is dirt cheap as keet's pointed out. Anything less than 100K is child's play. Once off the market where are you going to find another?
Never saw one of these before -- Wow! Hope Ms Liberty didn't get any buff chafe...
Thanks for sharing.
Let's take the hoighty-toighty language out of the op and what you have is an amazing exmaple of a ultra rarity in the finest grade (and metal) available. What would you rather have/ a roll of ultra gem 1983-S morgan silver dollars (20) or this metal? The choice is obvious and clear.
I wonder where the second one is? Prbably locked away air-tight and sealed in a collection not to see the light of daylight.
This is the number of each presented-
Original mintages for the Pan American medals is unknown, however, The St. Louis Republic newspaper from October 10, 1901, published a list of awards presented at the Exposition. There were
887 gold medals,
1,159 silver, and
1,147 bronze presented.
I believe there are more than two known. I seem to remember seeing more than that.
I agree it's a fantastic medal-I have a bronze example. How many are currently known? I don't know but I'll bet it's considerably more than two. And they were gilt silver, not solid gold. And, as beautiful as it is, demand would play a role-there are many more coin collectors than collectors of medals.
And they were gilt silver, not solid gold
as noted on the holder insert, the OP medal is edge marked 24k, it isn't gilt.
Is there a way of knowning if a bronze medal is plated in gold?
That is exceptionally nice
Steve
Nope-gilt in 24k but bronze, not silver. My mistake.
Pan-American Exposition Award Medal
Artist: Hermon Atkins MacNeil (American, Everett, Massachusetts 1866–1947 Queens, New York)
Date: 1901
Culture: American
Medium: Gilt bronze
Dimensions: 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of David Harvey Fox, 2012
Accession Number: 2012.486.1
Here is a picture of the medal cited above-
I suppose it's possible that only two were struck in solid gold for some special occasion-maybe for presentation to MacNeil himself. But every reference I've been able to find on the "gold" medals for this design have said they were gold plated.
They are, at any rate quite scarce as Heritage has sold only four in the last ten years. \
Silver 1901 Pan-American Expo Award Medal Designed by Hermon A. MacNeil, AU
Note: Amounts include buyer's premium.
Well, I stand corrected. Apparently a couple WERE struck in 24k gold as follows. My apology to Al. And maybe 63 grand IS a reasonable price. I'd rather have one of the gold ones than any number of regular issue extremely rare coins I can think of.
This medal comes in gold, silver, bronze, and gilt-bronze. Gold examples are extremely rare, with possibly only two in existence. One certified by NGC as Uncirculated Details, Bent, Scratched, realized a whopping $46,995 in a Rago Auctions sale in February 2017. A silver specimen in NGC MS 63 sold for $2,820 in a Heritage auction a few months later in June. One year earlier, a bronze example graded NGC MS 62 went for $1,175.
They can up the known specimens to 3 with my posts in @koynekwest's mintages thread. I've posted the 3 I've run across, including the 2 here, in that thread with links to online references.
The bent and scratched Johnson specimen sold for $46,995 on Feb 24, 2017 so $68,500.00 for a non-damaged specimen may be reasonable.
It would be great to assemble a list of the other 884 solid gold winners.
From "Coin World." Most of the ten in gold cited may have been melted for their gold content. Again, my apologies to Keets (Al) as he is certainly correct in his observations.
1901 Pan-American Exposition gold medal coming to auction Feb. 24
One of possibly just two examples known struck in gold
By Paul Gilkes , Coin World
Published : 02/04/17
Text Size
1901 Pan-American Expo gold lead
Rago Auctions will offer in its Feb. 24 auction what is believed to be one of just two 1901 Pan-American Exposition medals of this type struck in 24-karat gold.
Original images courtesy of Rago Arts.
One of possibly only two known 1901 Pan-American Exposition medals struck in gold and still in existence will be offered to collectors by Rago Auctions in its Feb. 24 sale.
Chris Wise, director of Coins/Currency and Silver for the Lambertville, N.J., firm, said the medal originated from an estate in New York.
Numismatic Guaranty Corp. has authenticated and encapsulated the medal as Uncirculated Details, Bent, Scratched.
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The 64-millimeter medal is attributed as NY L-TM103 in Fred Lavin’s 2010 reference, Panorama of the Pan-Am.
The medal is inscribed incuse on the edge with the manufacturer’s name and gold fineness: GORHAM CO. 24K.
Wise says the gold medal weighs 194 grams, or 6.38 troy ounces.
The exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., is tragically noted as the site of the Sept. 6, 1901, assassination of President William McKinley. McKinley died Sept. 14, eight days after being mortally wounded.
The obverse of the gold medal depicts a striding nude representing Liberty, alongside a garlanded buffalo. The reverse depicts two Native Americans, from South and North America, facing one another as they share a peace pipe.
The medal was designed and engraved by sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil, future designer of the Standing Liberty quarter dollar.
The obverse is inscribed PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION above Liberty. Inscribed on a plaque below is ELDRIDGE R. JOHNSON to whom the medal was presented, with HERMON MACNEIL SC in the exergue.
The reverse is inscribed in the field above the two Indians in two lines BVFFALO / V•S•A• MCMI.
The medal is accompanied by its original presentation box from the Gorham Manufacturing Co. On its cover appears, in gold lettering, GOLD MEDAL AWARDED / TO / ELDRIDGE R. JOHNSON FOR / VICTOR TALKING MACHINES / PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION / 1901.
Johnson founded the Victor Talking Machine Co., which he turned into the leading producer in America of phonograph players and phonograph records.
Wise says his research found no evidence of any example of the gold medal in the collections of the American Numismatic Association, American Numismatic Society, Buffalo University or museums in the Buffalo area. Wise said he has also not come across evidence of a gold example previously crossing the auction block.
New York professional numismatist Anthony Terranova said he examined a gold example of the medal a number of years ago, but it was not engraved with the name of a recipient. At the time he examined the gold medal, Terranova said it was owned by professional numismatist Jay Cline, a Standing Liberty quarter dollar specialist and author of the reference Standing Liberty Quarters.
Wise said as many as 10 of the medals may have been struck in gold.
I wonder where Wise is getting his info for this?
The St. Louis Republic article indicates 887 gold medals. Are most of the gold ones gilt? Any way we can confirm?
Were you able to pick up "The Green Fuel Economizer Co." silver specimen that just sold?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1901-Pan-American-Exposition-at-Buffalo-SILVER-Award-Medal-By-Hermon-MacNeil-UNC-/264065648660?nordt=true&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137
The relief on these medals are outstanding.
Here's another - not mine -