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-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.
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Army Target Medal
Julian MK-1, silver, 63mm
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.
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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/
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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.
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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
1863 U.S Colored Troops Medal See Matthew Robinson's article on this medal in the
Honor Is The Reward Of Loyalty / Pro Patria mule
Baker A270, white metal, 31mm
Baker A270 in copper - unlisted, 31mm In Honor of The Grand Parade medal White metal, 31mm
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.
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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.
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
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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.