Medal Collecting a Varied and Interesting Hobby Niche

One often underreported area of the hobby is medal collecting. In the past, I’ve been attracted to various medals and collected a few – from the U.S. Centennial celebration in 1876, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, and the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, to name a few. But it’s never been a serious pursuit and more related to what interested me at the time.

Some basics of niche in the hobby were covered in the May 1965 issue of Coins in “Medals…Medalets…Medallions…What They Are / What They Mean / Where They Come From,” by Loraine Burdick.

“The dictionary defines a medal as an award or commemorative piece,” Burdick began. “Of course, it can honor some advertiser or artist or commemorate a venture into business. A medal is of medium size, but there seems to be little actual limitation to the term. Perhaps anywhere from a quarter to a dollar in size is the limit. Smaller pieces are medalets; larger ones are medallions and may run anywhere from three to five or six inches in diameter ...

“Because of the small size, a fine medal requires extreme care in workmanship, and many famous artists of larger works have been called upon to prepare medallic masterpieces.

“Detail in a medal was formerly best preserved by the lost wax process. The original wax model was encased in a shell, then the wax melted out, and this shell was used as a mold for the metal of the medal. The greatest works of the past had to use this method since a man with a hammer couldn’t pound hard enough to let metal pick up all the details. In those days, a medal was generally larger and more detailed than a coin. The invention of the screw press made possible modern striking methods that do a very fine job. So modern advertisements of the lost wax process in making a medal do not necessarily mean that the detail is any better than in struck medals.

“Repousse medals were made by hammering a thin piece of metal over a hard mold to reproduce its design. Some artists prepared limited editions of a medal by engraving all details directly onto the metal.

“Most medals today, and coins, are made using two engraved dies that are hammered together with a blank metal planchet between. In order to get as much detail as possible, special machinery reduces the original model to perhaps 1/8 of its original size when engraving dies.

“Some people have objected to the various situations commemorated by medals today. Time Magazine related an Alan Shepard space medal to Cracker Jack art, though it didn’t criticize the event itself.

“Various towns that reach a 60th or 100th anniversary seem to want a medal, and sometimes these are even used as money for a brief period. Some advertisements of these city coins suggest they are scarce, usually because only a limited number are made, and even hint at the hope they will become valuable collectors’ items.

“For some four hundred years Europe has been commemorating such momentous events as royal births, deaths, marriages, coronations, victories. It must promptly be admitted, however, that almost none of these are issued in quantities such as today. Some of these medals served as demonstrations by artists who hoped to demonstrate their worth for royal patronage.

“Holland made many British medals; Germany was strong on politics at home and abroad; Italy went in for art in keeping with her international reputation.

“These medals are useful for the study of costume, battle strategy, or arms and buildings. A 1685 medal of the British King James II after the beheading of two enemies gives details of how this was accomplished, setting each head alone on a block.

“The official coronation medal of Queen Anne, 1702, shows her throwing a thunderbolt that surely was not meant to express shock at the event. Instead, it represented her succession in a long line of women who were praised with attributes of heavenly beings, in this case, likening her to the goddess of thunder.

“Of more interest to Americans is the British silver medal honoring William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, for his efforts to stop England’s quarreling with her colonies. Probably, Pitt was awarded one of these, though its actual purpose may have been to drum up further sympathy for one set of the colonies.

“In 1779, the U.S. issued a medal to celebrate John Paul Jones’ attacks on the Scottish coasts. Specifically, it was awarded to him for capturing the British frigate Serapis. This medal is generally known in copper ...

“This is just a quick run-through of a few of the past to show what sort of things were considered worthy of a medal.

“Some medals pass as money or are designed to give that impression. For example, a few British medals actually used the same die as a coin reverse. Britain also had trouble with foreign copies of her coins that came from the Continent and were foisted off on a populace that wasn’t very discriminating and also lacked adequate small change ...

“For collectors of medals with historical significance, there is one which commemorates the U.S. frigate Constellation and is made of copper from the ship’s original spikes. And Japan in 1943 made a 1-3/4’ copper medal of cheap design to celebrate its occupation of the Philippines.

“Early medals were often made to be worn and came with attached loops. Battle campaign medals are a fascinating field and these usually have loops plus ribbons or special fasteners. This field also has many collectors, and it is possible, for example, to buy a Waterloo campaign medal (British dragoons) or one from China in 1842; U.S. Distinguished Flying Crosses are available, as are Purple Hearts.

“Medals, medalets and medallions can be fun if they don’t confuse. As always, it pays to know what you are getting so put in some extra time and look up as many historical details as possible. These enhance the value and meaning of any piece.” 

One of the things that most attracted me to Coins Magazine when I started collecting in the 1970s was its focus on the history of U.S. coins, tokens and medals. This was as true in the early days of the magazine as it was in later years. The staff of Coins Magazine was often composed of true collectors, professionals who, as publisher Chet Krause explained in his “Memo: from the publisher” in the May 1965 issue of Coins, were “virtual walking dictionaries of the hobby.”

“The reasons people take up collecting must be as numerous and varied as the numismatica with which they deal,” Krause wrote. “Mary might desire the prestige that comes of rare coin possession. Alice could want just the quiet pleasure of filling out her coin holders. Suzie might be interested in the fellowship that’s a happy by-product of collecting.

“Tom might look for profit, Dick for knowledge, and Harry for the satisfaction of owning the biggest bunch of street car tokens in West Bend, Wis.

“Were we to attempt a serious listing, I believe we would run out of names before we ran out of reasons. It’s a tremendous hobby, and its joys are many. And as knowledge and understanding increase, the joys become greater.

“This last fact is well demonstrated in our Coins Magazine operations. We have, I believe, as fine a bank of coin expertise as you will find under any one roof in America. Some of our people, on both the creative and service sides of the magazine, are virtual walking dictionaries of the hobby.

“So our work is our pleasure. Because of our function, we have another blessing in the constant contact we have with collectors worldwide. Collectors like you. We receive multitudes of letters and phone calls daily, some friendly, some hostile, but all from fellow collectors – which makes them a pleasure.

“All of which is to say that we’re happy in our hobby and our work, and we try to pass on this enjoyment to you as best we can. If you gain a nugget or two of knowledge, find a needed coin or product in the ads, or just plain enjoy the facts and fancies presented here ... as one collector to another, I do too.”