Miscellaneous Historical Medals

MISCELLANEOUS HISTORICAL MEDALS

1864 Joseph Wharton Medal

Joseph Wharton, 1826-1909, was one of the great industrialist of the 19th Century. Instrumental in developing the use of metallic zinc and nickel he was co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, founded the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was a co-founder of Swarthmore College.

Greenslet GM-70, bronze, 53mm,

Greenslet GM-71, bronze, 53mm

(on line image)

Greenslet list this as a different variety but it is actually an overdate, the 9 being struck over the 4. He list a silver version but I have not seen any of these. And I have not been able to find any information on why these were struck or who commissioned Robert Jr. to create these.

Army Target Medal

Julian MK-1, silver, 63mm

(image from R.W. Julian's catalog referenced below)

The description of the medal in R.W. Julian's "Medals of The United States Mint, The First Century" reads 'Three silver medals were struck for Maj. P.V. Hagner of the Frankford Arsenal in 1859. One more was struck in 1870. The attribution is problematical although this is the only medal found that fits the conditions of this issue. The only piece seen is looped.'  Anyone with knowledge of this medal please contact me.

1860 Capt Simonton / Washington Light Infantry Medal

Bronze, 38.7mm

White metal, 38.7mm

(image courtesy of Stacks-Bowers)

(on line image)

Obverse die for the Washington Light Infantry Medal.

For more information see Tony Chibbaro's website on South Carolina tokens and medals at: http://www.angelfire.com/sc2/tokenofthemonth/token003/

Dickeson Restrike

Breen 1380, copper, 29mm

I am proposing this as possibly the work of Robert Lovett Jr. for Dr. Montroville Dickeson. Sometime in the late 1850's Dickeson obtained several dies he thought had been used to strike the 1792 federal provisional issues. They were actually rejected dies for embossing revenue stamps. He had the reverse dies made with the belief that the obverse was a mint pattern. We know Robert Jr. was doing work for him about this time so he may have engraved the reverse die and struck these pieces. These are also listed in J. Hewitt Judd's Pattern catalog in Appendix C.

Grand Parade Medals

I have not been able to definitively attribute these to Robert Jr. but am calling these possibly his work because of the association of the Grand Parade die with known Robert Jr. dies. The date and location are right for it being his work. My guess is that the original dies were created to celebrate the 1874 and 1875 St. Patrick's day Parades in Philadelphia. The other pieces are later mulings. Anyone with information on these please contact me.

Grand Parade 1874

Bronze, 32.2mm

Brass, 32.2mm

White metal, 32.2mm

The above three medals came as a group with a note that said they were

awarded to dignitaries and 25 were struck in each medal.

Grand Parade 1875

Bronze?
IMAGE NEEDED

Brass, 31.4mm

White metal, 31.6mm

Cathedral of St. Peter & St. Paul Medal

1874 Parade reverse, white metal, 32.2mm

1875 Parade reverse, bronze, 31.5mm

1875 Parade reverse, white metal, 31.5mm

IMAGE NEEDED

"Our Faith And Our Country" reverse, white metal, 32mm
(on line image)

This medal may have been struck to celebrate the designation of Philadelphia as an Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in 1875. Bishop Wood's tenure in Philadelphia saw the completion of the Cathedral and he became Archbishop in 1875. The Cathedral is the largest brownstone structure in Philadelphia and the largest Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.      I have not been able to determine if the 1875 St. Patrick's Day parade in Philadelphia was part of the celebration for the Church. The first parade was held in 1771 and is one of the largest in the nation. The 1875 parade was notable for the almost 10,000 Irish participants that marched and most of them with the 39 marching units of the Total Abstinence Brotherhood.

Cathedral of St. Peter & St. Paul, Philadelphia

1878 Parade reverse, white metal, 31.2mm

When viewed under magnification it is obvious that the date is recut from the 1875 date. This would have most likely been done by someone other than Robert Jr. since he had retired and left Philadelphia in 1877.

Honor is The Reward of Loyalty medalets

The "Honor Is The Reward of Loyalty" die seems to have been very popular with Robert Jr as it is found muled with several of his other dies, some of the combinations making little sense. If I had to guess I would say the original pairing is with either the "War of 1861" die or the " 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers" die. The seated figure that is the central design of this die is the same figure Robert Jr used on his storecard, with the addition of the griffin to her right and the changes to the pedestal behind her, as well as the addition of the initials RL on the left of the pedestal. I would assume that this was a die punch Robert Jr created for his storecard and later modified for this die. And it appears to have been well worn as the figure on his storecard is very sharply detailed while all the others I have seen are lacking much of the detail.  118th Pennsylvania Volunteers medal "The Philadelphia Corn Exchange Regiment Fording the Potomac" Harper's Weekly, October 11, 1862 White metal, 31.1mm The 118th Pennsylvania was known as the Corn Exchange Regiment for the Philadelphia Corn Exchange (later the Commercial Exchange of Philadelphia), which raised the money for the regiment’s equipment and a $10 bonus for each recruit. Monument to the Corn Exchange Regiment at Gettysburg 1863 U.S Colored Troops Medal (image courtesy of  Matthew Robinson)   See Matthew Robinson's article on this medal in the  February 19th, 2023 edition of the E-Sylum     War of 1861 medal Maier and Stahl Lady Liberty 15A, white metal, 31mm (on line image ) In their book "Identification Discs of Union Soldiers in The Civil War" Maier and Stahl have a footnote to this piece which reads "This obverse was muled (combined) with a reverse reading 'Joint Committee on Escort from Corn Exchange and Citizens for 2nd Regt. Blue reserves'. It is impossible to determine at this time whether the obverse was designed for an identification disc first the appropriated as a medal or vice versa" Honor Is The Reward Of Loyalty / Pro Patria mule   Baker A270, white metal, 31mm Baker A270 in copper - unlisted, 31mm (on line image) In Honor of The Grand Parade medal White metal, 31mm       It is this muling that leads me to believe the Grand Parade pieces are the work of Robert Jr. The "Honor is the Reward of Loyalty" die is found in combination with his "Pro Patria" die and below the seated Liberty are the initials R.L. 1893 Candy Expo medal Aluminum, 31mm Interesting token that is definitely not the work of Robert Jr. but this seemed as good a place as any to list it. The "Honor is The Reward of Loyalty" die is his work but he passed away in 1879 so the 1893 die is someone else's. His Brother George H. obtained a lot of his dies and muled them with his own so this could be his work. Or it was another engraver/die sinker in Philadelphia who had access to this die. Anyone with any information on this please contact me. The Times - Philadelphia, May 21, 1893

This first Candy Exposition did not end well. On May 27 the Horticultural Hall
in which it was being held was destroyed by fire and the Exposition burned out.
Losses to the exhibitors were estimated at $20,000.

Muling with Baker M678 obverse die   Copper, 30.5mm

Definitely not struck by Robert Jr; the Washington die was from

a medal for the 1926 Sesqui-Centennial Expo in Philadelphia. 

It seems very softly struck and there is a die crack that runs through

"Loyalty" from rim to rim.