Central States win just arrived: 1901 MacNeil Pan American Exposition medal in gilt
Weiss
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It's a short set: bronze, silver, gilt, since it seems unlikely I'll stumble across one of the actual solid gold medals (2 or 3 known). But I was happy to score the "gold" last week:
These medals were sculpted by Hermon Atkins MacNeil, the designer of the Standing Liberty quarter. Though records seem to indicate 3,193 medals were awarded across all three metals at the exhibition, very few seemed to have survived. It's been suggested that they were fodder for the Great Depression or the metal drives of the world wars. But the fact that so many of the Saint Gaudens / Barber bronze 1892 Columbian Exhibition medals of similar size and weight survive would seem to refute that. I dunno.
This gilt example was awarded to the Mobile Company of America, a short-lived iteration of the Stanley Steamer / Locomobile steam powered vehicle companies, who were sometimes partners, sometimes competitors.
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Mobile's listing in the Official Catalogue and Guide Book to the Pan-American Exposition:
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And here she is with the rest of the family...
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--Severian the Lame
Comments
Those medals are just outstanding! Here's the only one I own. It grades MS62.
Nice! What an awesome trio to have been able to put together. It's really a cool group.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Really nice
A beautifully-designed medal and an outstanding group... congrats on "completing" the set!
You taught me something today. Never knew about these. Beautiful, and I would add that HA MacNeil was at the top of his craft.
Great looking set.
Is "gilt" a form of gold plating or something else?
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"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
One of my favorite medals. Congratulations
I love that set! Congrats on the win.
Beautiful medals!
This is a great set! Was it gilt as issued or was it applied after the original issuance of the medal?
I'm happy with my one. A set of three would be amazing! Helluva job puttin' those together!
Beautiful medal, beautiful set! Congrats!
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Thanks, everyone. These have to be one of my top 5 favorite designs in all of American numismatica. MacNeil is one of the nation's finest sculptors. It's been said that his work was/is decidedly American.
And the execution is great. All three of my examples were made by and are edgemarked "Gorham"--one of the most important silversmiths and foundries in American history. Though founded in the 1830s, they'd only been casting sculpture for 8 or 10 years before they made these pieces. It almost seemed like they had something to prove and they knocked it out of the park.
You often see medals or coins with one gorgeous side...and one side that is kind of "meh". But I love how if you think one side of these medals is amazing (regardless of which side you're looking at), just wait until you see the other side!
No, the gilded or gilt "gold" examples of these medals were cast in bronze and then had a thin layer of gold applied prior to being awarded to give them the appearance of being gold, and therefore the highest level of award, in contrast to the regular bronze and the solid silver examples. There are 2 or 3 known examples in solid gold. But those obviously had some kind of special significance.
For scale and so the true beauty of these pieces can be seen:
--Severian the Lame
Nice addition. Glad you got all three. I have the three also. I doubt if very many collectors have this set.
How was the gilt applied? Did they gold plate the medal or apply gold leaf or is the process used unknown?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
That is quite interesting.
I think I have the sister medal to yours. Next time I have it home to look at it I will confirm (and photograph).
As I remember, mine was awarded to (and inscribed with) "The American Locomobile Company".
Or maybe it is "The Locomobile Company of America".
Mine is also gilt.
Very nice set, congrats Weiss.
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That is a truly beautiful set of medals @Weiss .... If a solid gold one does become available, I am sure it will quickly find it's way to your collection....
Cheers, RickO
Dcarr, here's an advertisement from The Automobile that shows Locomobile's gold medal win at the expo:
--Severian the Lame
Great! Keep it going with beautiful Medals and Tokens/ Sure is a lot more interesting than a Morgan Dollar!
My goodness that's beautiful.
The artistry is moving.
Congratulations.
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My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
Super cool!
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Great set of medals,they're beautiful !
Can you imagine what a near mint 'Locomobile' would sell for ?
Here's the number awarded for these beautiful medals-
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.
These are great medals, and I love the look of your set together. Very cool!
I finally got mine out to look at it and I then remembered that I actually had two.
"The Locomobile Co. of America"
This one has matte surfaces but it is gilt:
"Pacific Pine Needle Co."
This one has more luster than the other one, and also some guilding loss on the high points:
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Both of mine are edge marked "BRONZE" and "GORHAM CO."
Is that normal for the gilt medals ?
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dcarr -- yes, the bronze edge mark and signature are found on most if not all of the gilt medals.
Very nice medals! I also begin to collect medals.
Glad to see this thread resurrected... though only a year old. That medal is truly beautiful... in all three metal renditions. And, as previously stated, rare to see such artistry on both sides. Cheers, RickO
Glad this just started up again. I just acquired another gilt gold medal for Edwin Howell, a famous turn of the century relief map maker. I’m in the process of getting it graded but as you can see by the photos it’s in very nice condition…
Outstanding, @Randall !
--Severian the Lame
Beautiful medals and set. I hate to say it, but I think your bronze needs to be in a matching NGC slab.
I hear you. If it wasn't in the original box, or if the box wasn't in such good shape, I'd have already submitted her. But I think I like having one of them raw.
--Severian the Lame
Thank you. I have a medal certificate but this is the first opportunity I had to buy an actual medal and it’s so nice. The guy who sold it to me is a picker who found it in a storage unit at a storage auction. He’s got papers and certificates so I’ve asked if he could see if he’s got the accompanying certificate.
Interesting event today. Not only do I have the gold medal for E. E. Howell, I now have a 1900 Paris international exposition bronze medal with its box with his name on it as well. The picker found it in his storage locker he bought. This makes 4 medals (1898 bronze medal, 1900 bronze medal, 1901 Gold medal, and the 1904 Grand prize medal) from this locker so I have to think the other 2 were Howell’s as well. Plus he found an Additional medal box with Howell’s name on it from the 1915 Panama-pacific international expo in San Francisco. I’m hoping he finds that medal as well.
Great stuff!