1

The Newsletter of Medal Collectors of America

Volume 14 Number 1 January 2011

Board MembersJohn Sallay, President, jsallay@comcast.netDavid Menchell, Vice President dmenchell@aol.comAnne E. Bentley, Secretary, abentley@masshist.orgBarry D. Tayman, TreasurerBenjamin Weiss, WebmasterJohn W. AdamsDavid T. Alexander, davida@stacks.comRobert F. Fritsch, bobfritsch@earthlink.netMargi Hofer, mhofer@nyhistory.orgTony Lopez, tonychar1@comcast.netScott Miller, wheatabix@comcast.netIra Rezak, ira.rezak@med.va.govDonald Scarinci, dscarinci1@aol.comMichael Turrini, emperori@juno.com

John W. Adams, Editor99 High Street, 11th floorBoston, MA 02110john.adams@canaccordadams.com

Barry Tayman, Treasurer3115 Nestling Pine CourtEllicott City, MD 21042bdtayman@verizon.net

Benjamin Weiss, Webmasterbenweiss.org@comcast.net

Editor of Collectors’ Guide, Dick Johnson(dick.johnson@snet.net)

Dues: $30.00/year; 50.00/2 yearsWhat’s New on Our Website!medalcollectors.orgCHECK IT OUT

From the Editor 3

Club Meeting at the New YorkInternational 3

Malcolm Storer’s MisattributionCorrected (by Anne Bentley) 3

Report of a New British Counterfeit(by Scott Miller) 4

Henry Ford Museum (by John W. Adams) 8

Letters to the Editor 8

Vernon Section 10

Surface Technology (by John W. Adams) 11

2

3

From the EditorThis is our first issue printed on the

Magcloud website. We believe that thecolor and print quality are acceptable,especially given economics that are muchsuperior to those offered by a commercialprint shop. The challenge of thismethodology falls on Thelma, my longtimeassistant, and ye editor. Our copy in Wordmust be translated into a pdf file and thenuplifted to the Magcloud website. Rulesgoverning the site layout procedure result inillogical pagination. Any changes torationalize Magcloud but be initiated back inWord, than put into pdf and, finally, liftedback to the site. Hopefully this becomeseasier with experience.

We recently purchased FrenchMedallics Art by Nicolas Maier. Thissplendid book surveys the development ofthe medal in France from 1870 to 1940. It isduring this epoch that medallic art evolvesfrom the strict classical rules ofL’Academies des Belles Lettres into morefluid forms and formats. The work of 73artists is surveyed, with excellentphotographs throughout.

Speaking of books, we would alsorecommend Robert Turfboer’s Englishtranslation of van Loon. This segment of theDutch masterpiece includes a completediscussion of the classical rules for medaldesign as well as the logic behind them. Weguarantee that fundamental knowledge ofthe medallic art will enhance yourenjoyment of what you collect

Club Meeting at the New YorkInternational

Held from January 1st through the10th, NYIC featured the usual plethora ofauctions. The most notable feature of thesewas a surge in the prices of classicalcoinage. Choice pieces fetched multiples ofthe auctioneer’s estimates.

The A.N.S. Gala, though a bit pricey at $500 perticket, was the usual riot of good food, good drinkand good dancing. The collections of the Societyare unrivalled, so that supporting the stewardship ofthese treasures is giving support to the very core ofour hobby. Thus, doing well by the A.N.S. ANDhaving fun is truly bang for the buck.

On the Bourse floor, Alan Davisson, alongtime specialist in English coinage and tokens,has retired from the lists. A promising newcomer,who is doing auctions as well as bourse coverage, isInternational Coin Exchange Ltd. of Dublin,Ireland. Members will find some choice items intheir February sale.

Attendance at our MCA meeting wasrelatively sparse. We welcomed Gerry Muhl, whodrove all the way from Rochester, picking up afriend in Syracuse on the way East. Havingcorresponded with Gerry for some years now, it wasnice to meet this talented numismatist in person. Wemust chalk low attendance up to the weather,because the Club's vital signs are otherwise upbeat;the Secretary's report gave membership at 175 andrising; the Treasurer's report found us with $7500 inthe bank; and the Webmaster’s report described anever burgeoning amount of material on our website.Ye editor gave a presentation on the AdmiralVernon medals followed by a warm Q&A. Finally,David Menchell, who chaired the meeting in JohnSallay's absence, conducted an auction of sevengenerously donated items. Bidding was not frantic(unfortunately for the Club Exchequer), but some$700 was raised, with Anne Bentley's day at theMassachusetts Historical Society fetching $200 - anincredible bargain.

Malcolm Storer’s MisattributionCorrected (by Anne Bentley)

We enjoy displaying our collections here atthe Massachusetts Historical Society, not leastbecause we often learn as much from our visitors asthey do from us. A case in point comes from ourrecent exhibition, “Precious Metals: From Au toZn.” When the first photographs from our displaywent online, I heard from Andrew W. Harkness,

4

collector and author, with Timothy Corlo, ofAgricultural and Mechanical Society AwardMedals of the United States (availablethrough www.lulu.com). Andy contacted meto say that he thought the medal thatMalcolm Storer had listed as no.1309 underthe Massachusetts Charitable MechanicAssociation, was more likely the 1838award medal of the Maine CharitableMechanic Association. Once the showopened, Andy came down specifically tocheck it out and urge me to see if I couldfind anything to corroborate his theory.

M.C.M.A. Fair 1838. Silver award medal toThe New England Painted Floor

Cloth Co. Silver, 35 x 38 mm, 29.5 grams.Ex Wm. S. Appleton, 1905.

I’m delighted to say that I’ve justbeen able to do so. In our collections wehave a pamphlet that puts to rest anyquestions about the issuer of theM.C.M.A.shield award medal: titledFirst Exhibition and Fair of the MaineCharitable Mechanic Association: held atthe City Hall, in the city of Portland, fromSept. 24 to Oct. 6, 1838, the publication was

printed in Portland by Charles Day & Co. for theAssociation in 1838.

Under the heading "Carpeting, Cotton andPrinted Goods," this very medal is listed on page30:

"Specimens of Oil Carpeting, from the NewEngland Company, Roxbury, Mass. These area beautiful article, both for richness anddurability--the brown and white groundparticularly are elegant, and deserve greatcredit--they are the only specimens of thesekind of goods exhibited on this occasion.

A SILVER MEDAL."

Although the Committee on Medals "to procurea device for Medals, with inscription--and a designfor a diploma" is listed in full (it consisted of J.R.Thompson, chairman, Abner Lowell, and WilliamCapen), the person responsible for the medal is notmentioned anywhere in the eighty-two pagepamphlet. I’ve contacted Arthur Gaffar of theMaine Charitable Mechanic Association to see if hecan help determine the medal maker, so stay tuned.Meanwhile, Art keeps a census of all known MaineC.M.A. medals, so if you know of any, you mightwant to contact him to see if he has them listed[artgaff@gmail.com].

Report of a New British Counterfeit(by Scott Miller)

It had to happen. I knew it was only amatter of time, but it had to happen. Close on theheels of reports of counterfeit coins coming out ofChina, the latest development is counterfeit RoyalMint envelopes for small size coronation andjubilee medals, 1897 to 1937.

For those readers who may not be familiarwith the series of English coronation medals thatdate back more than 400 years, small medals weredistributed by the monarch during the coronation asprincely largess. Originally given in the form ofmoney, the distribution was replaced by medalsbeginning with the coronation of James I in 1603.On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen

5

Victoria in 1887, military medals weredistributed to those in attendance at thecelebration, and a large commemorativemedal was offered for sale to the public.This format has been followed ever since,though official commemorative medals werenot offered for sale in 1953 for thecoronation of the current Queen, ElizabethII.

Between 1897 and 1937 coronationand jubilee medals were issued in two sizes.During these years, the larger medals weresold with leather, presentation cases, as weresmall gold issues. Large silver and bronzemedals for 1902 and 1911 were alsoaccompanied by paper envelopes; it ispossible that other years had large envelopesas well, though I have not seen any.

As for the smaller medals, whilesome are occasionally seen in presentationcases, the small silver 1897 medalsgenerally came in paper envelopes, as didthe small silver 1902 and 1911 coronationmedals; the small silver 1935 and silver andbronze 1937 medals were issued in cardboxes.

Recently, I noticed for sale on aninternet auction a number of envelopes forthe small medals, dated 1897, 1902, 1911,1935 and 1937. While I had seen a fewoffered previously with medals, andrecognized them as counterfeit, their re-appearance has prompted me to mentionthem. While at first glance the 1902 and1911 envelopes appeared convincing, theirassociation with other, clearly counterfeitenvelopes condemns them as well. Themost surprising thing about these latestcounterfeits is that the envelopes add verylittle value to the medals, which arethemselves quite common and inexpensive.

Each of the counterfeit envelopes arewhite with black printing and measure 37 x37mm. According to the vendor theenvelopes are original with old paper andprinting. The first and most glaring problemwith these envelopes is that the basicinformation on two are wrong. Although the

envelopes indicate these are for coronation medals,there was no coronation in either 1897 or 1935.These years actually relate to the diamond jubilee ofQueen Victoria and the Silver Jubilee of KingGeorge V. Below are diagnostics of legitimate andcounterfeit envelopes.

1897

Counterfeit: 37x37mm white paper envelopesmarked CORONATION MEDAL / 1897 / SILVER/ Royal Mint. While the format is similar to otheryears, there was no coronation in 1897. In addition,as the 1897 medal was smaller than the medalsissued for subsequent occasions, the envelope wasalso smaller, measuring 34mm.

Plate from 1897 Victoria Diamond Jubileeoriginal: small silver medals are occasionally seenin leather presentation cases, though generally, aswith most small coronation and jubilee medals,

6

have long been separated from their originalpackages. Most medals were issued in smallwhite envelopes measuring 34mm. and bearthe printed notation Royal Mint. (Photocourtesy Simmons Gallery Ltd, London,England - www.simmonsgallery.co.uk.)

1902 Edward VII Coronation Original: Ihave seen envelopes for both large and smallsize medals; the small envelopes measureapproximately 37mm. and bear theinscription CORONATION MEDAL / 1902./ SILVER / Royal Mint. (Photo courtesySimmons Gallery Ltd, London, England)

Counterfeit: 37x37mm white paperenvelopes marked CORONATION MEDAL/ 1902 / SILVER / Royal Mint. Theseenvelopes are close to the originals inappearance, and assuming they were printedon a letterpress, could be deceiving.

1911 George V Coronation Original: I have seenenvelopes for both large and small size medals. Forthe large size envelopes from both 1902 and 1911,the indentations generally present indicate thepresentation cases with medals inside were placedin the envelopes for shipping. The small envelopesare approximately 37mm and are markedCORONATION MEDAL / 1911. / SILVER / RoyalMint. (Photo courtesy Simmons Gallery Ltd,London, England)

Counterfeit: 37x37mm white paper envelopesmarked CORONATION MEDAL / 1911 / SILVER/ Royal Mint. These envelopes are close to the

7

originals in appearance, and assuming theywere printed on a letterpress, could bedeceiving.

1935 George V Silver Jubilee Original:small silver medals were issued in red cardboxes; 4400 small silver medals with amatte finish for distribution in Australiawere issued with small, leather presentationcases, similar to those for the large, silvermedals; 400 small bronze medals werestruck with a matte finish and placed incardboard boxes.

Counterfeit: 37x37mm white paperenvelopes marked CORONATION MEDAL/ 1935 / SILVER / Royal Mint. While theformat is similar to other years, these medalswere not issued in paper envelopes and therewas no coronation in 1935.

1937 George VI Coronation Original: small silverand bronze medals were issued in red card boxes.

Counterfeit: 37x37mm white paper envelopes markedCORONATION MEDAL / 1937 / SILVER / Royal Mint.While the format is similar to the 1902 and 1911 envelopes,these medals were not issued in paper envelopes.

8

Henry Ford MuseumWe have encouraged readers to

report on museum holdings. This report isbased on a 1966 Exhibition at the MidwestAntiques forum. Unfortunately the HenryFord Museum is effectively unapproachabletoday, such that we could not verify that thecollection still exists if it has been expanded,or what. Too many repositories have beensqueezed by financial issues. It is a pity thatchoice items such as we will list belowcannot be viewed ad studied.

In the 1966 Exhibition, the HenryFord Museum displayed these items amongothers:

1) Capture of Treasure at Matanzas(Betts 24)

2) John Law Medals, Betts 126 and128.

3) Annapolis Tuesday Club medal,Betts 383, in copper. This item isparticularly important, with the onlyother example in this metal havingbeen sold from the John J. Fordcollection. If the die state of thepiece could be determined, it mightshow whether the piece is a patternor an emblem of membership, as arethe examples in silver.

4) Anson’s Voyage, Betts 382 in silver.5) 1757 Quaker Indian Peace medal,

Betts 401. The rare original in silver.6) Attack on Louisbourg, Betts 410.

This is Thomas Pingo’s lovelycommemoration of he event. Silver.

7) Montreal Token, Betts 429, in silver.8) Charlestown Social Club, Betts 508,

in bronze.9) Captain Cook medal, Betts 555, in

white metal.10) Horatio Gates medal, Betts 557,

metal unknown.11) Daniel Morgan medal, Betts 593, in

bronze. Less than a dozen examplesknown.

12) Libertas Americana, Betts 615, insilver.

13) Washington C.C.A.U.S., Baker 57, in silver.The rarest of the four Samson medals.

14) South Carolina’s medal to the PalmettoRegiment in silver.

15) Season’s medal, pastoral scene, in silver.16) James Monroe Indian peace medal, medium

size, in silver.17) James Fillmore Indian peace medal, large

size, in silver.The presence of many later medals on down

to a John F. Kennedy inaugural medal (1961)demonstrates that the Museum remained an activeacquisitor until that date. The breadth of thematerial listed above hints that there may be manymore rarities contained in the collection. It is agreat pity that the Henry Ford Museum should haveeffectively removed these historical treasures frompublic view. If staffing is not available, it would bebetter to pass the medal collection along to aninstitution that could provide the stewardship themedals deserve.

Letters to the Editor

Hello John and many thanks for offering toinclude details of the book. Herewith are a few factsand stats:

At 7.5 inches (190 mm.) in width, by 10inches (250 mm.) in length, the book follows thesame format as the first edition, as do the layout ofthe catalogue entries themselves and the runningheaders. Additional standard features areexplanatory notes and an introduction.

A new feature in the book is a chapterdealing with production numbers, which lists overone hundred medals. Historical and biographicalnotes to many medals have been expanded in thenew edition and the entries themselves have beenbeefed up with references to many of the workspublished in the intervening 23 years since the firmany publications that.

Another significant feature of the neweditions are the illIustrations, which in the firstedition comprised 625 half-tone black and whiteimages arranged on 53 plates. The new edition hasmore than 2000 coloured images distributed over240 plates.

9

In instances where a medal comes inboth struck and cast form, efforts have beenmade to illustrate both types side by side.Similarly, images are provided of manymedals occurring both as sixteenth- andseventeenth-century originals andeighteenth-century copies. The benefits thatsuch comparisons allow are invaluable. orthought to be otherwise present on othersimilarit is thought to be the obviousrisonsprovide are obvious but rarely, if at all, canthey be otherwise made have they otherwisebeen provided

Christopher Eimer

Plate from Eimer’s book.

Dear Anne:I am still, four months later, dealing with a

serious case of medal envy over the breathtakingexhibition you mounted during the ANA conventionin Boston. The only consolation I can muster is thatthe MHS has been collecting a lot longer than yourhumble correspondent--perhaps when I have been atthe game for 219 years, I'll have a splendidcollection, too!

I am writing to you as the arbiter on allthings that are both numismatic and John QuincyAdams in nature. I recently, in the course ofresearch on another topic, came across a traveler'smemoir documenting the gift of two medals to JQAwhile he was President, and I am intrigued as towhether said medals were gifted to the MHS, and ifso, whether they are still part of the collection.

His Highness, Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach, visited the U.S. in 1825-1826,and wrote a two-volume book about his travels,entitled, straightforwardly enough, Travels ThroughNorth America, During the Years 1825 and 1826.In volume 1, on p. 158, he describes meetingPresident Adams in Philadelphia on October 23,

10

1825, when JQA was returning from a visitto his father in Massachusetts. Bernhardgave two medals to the President. Hisdescription is fairly terse in the text, but Ihave filled in with some research. The twomedals were the gift of a citizen of Ghent,Egide-Norbert-Cornelissen (1769-1849),and entrusted to Bernhard for delivery toJQA. Both medals were "sunk" as Bernhardputs it, by the medalist Joseph Pierre Braemt(1796-1864). One medal was silver, andcommemorated the Botanic Society ofGhent. The other was bronze, and struck in1823 to celebrate the "jubilee," as Bernhardhas it, of printing.

I assume that JQA madeCornelissen's acquaintance when he was oneof the American negotiators in Ghentseeking to end the War of 1812. I furtherassume that JQA would have regarded thisgift as personal rather than diplomatic innature, so that the medals would go into hispersonal collection rather than to the PatentOffice--but this latter assumption is morequestionable than the former. I havechecked the two Stack's sales of MHSAdams collection materials, from March andSeptember of 1971, and found nothing likeeither of these medals described in them.Hence my questions--were these two everpart of the MHS collection? If so, are theystill part of the cabinet?

Many thanks in advance, Anne, forany help you are able to provide on thisquestion. And a very happy holiday seasonto you, as well!

Best regards,

Joel Orosz

Thanks for the kind words, Joel--we reallyare fortunate that so much numismaticmaterial stayed in the collection.

What a fun JQA puzzle...neithermedal sounds familiar, but I'll check the oldcards and other sales catalogs that include

our stuff (they could have been separated from theAdams collection and deaccessioned w/outprovenance). I'll also check in with Adams familymembers and my buddies at Old House (NPS,Quincy) to see if they recognize these. Do you havea deadline? We're in the process of massivestrategic plan reorganization which includes majorjob change and office move for me...and since I'mone-handed for the next month or so (recent handsurgery), everything is sloooow as molasses at myend.

I'm ordering The Secret History and lookingforward to learning a great deal from it, once I'mable to turn pages again!

Season's Greetings to you as well, Joel--andall best wishes in 2011

Anne E. BentleyCurator of Art/acting loans registrarMassachusetts Historical Society

[Good afternoon, Joel - Sounds like anotherpiquant project. Thanks for copying me.I don't always read The E-Sylum (and I wouldn'tattempt to retrieve it from some database)-where does one buy The Secret History ? Also, ifyou send me a blurb, I will re-weave it into apiece for the MCA Advisory.—Ed.]

Dear John:This will be a fun project, particularly if

Anne can run one or both of the medals to ground inthe MHS collection. Even if they have departed,finding where they have gone will still add somefascination to the story.

The Secret History will emerge from Chinaat some point in mid-January. I shall send you aninscribed copy when it does. Your offer to translatea blurb into a notice for the MCA Advisory isgratefully accepted--blurb attached.

I was unaware of Dan's ailment. Is it aninner ear problem? Your proposed remedy strikesme as at least as efficacious, and a darned sightcheaper, than any prescription that could begarnered from the pharmacopoeia! I'll drop Dan anote--in English--to see if there is anything I can doto be helpful. Perhaps I could offer to ease his mindby safeguarding his Woodwards and Chapmans....

11

I hope that you and Regina have aglorious holiday surrounded by yourextended brood. Florence and I have ourfirst absence this year; our eldest daughter isspending the Christmas holidays with herboyfriend's family in, of all places, Alaska.It must be love!

Warm regards,

Joel Orsoz

Vernon Section

I am attaching a photo of a map thatI recently purchased of The Castle of SanLorenzo, Chagre. The image size is about 61/2" across x 5 1/4" high plus a small borderaround. There is a lot of informationprinted on the map. In the lower left is alisting A thru L that lists the Situation ofThe Attack by Admiral Vernon's ships.Each is named and shown where it waspositioned during the attack. In the upperleft is a listing small a thru p, and I note n.- An Old Tree. On the map the n is shownin the middle of the river. In your referenceunder FCv 1-A, you indicate that MilfordHaven remarked that the tree on the medal isprobably an old tree used as a navigationmark, on an island at the mouth of theChagres River. The person who sold me themap indicated it was from a 1740 issue ofGentleman's Magazine. Back in 1986 Ipurchased another map of Port of Chagres,Showing Fortifications. That is a slightlylarger map 10" x 7 1/4" - at least accordingto my ledger book. However, I have notseen it in many years - is deep inside one ofthe safe deposit boxes. Eventually, it willsurface, and I will put it in the box with themedals.Best to you for the holiday season.

Warren Lloyd Plumer

[Warren Lloyd sent us this map of FortChagre, which he believes comes from a

1740 issue of the Gentleman's Magazine. Itconfirms the large tree on a small island at themouth of the River, as well as a lot of tacticalinformation. Neat find, Mr. Lloyd!]

Surface Technology (by John W. Adams)The early 18th century witnessed the dawn of

the Industrial Revolution. Interest in metal workingtechnology sparked an evolution in manufacturing.Interest in metal composition, as perhapsepitomized by alchemy, fostered new products inmany sectors, not the least being coinage.

Christopher Pinchbeck (1670-1732)pioneered the development of an alloy that wasgolden in color and ductile to shape. So called“pinchbeck” metal was used to make sword hilts,cane heads, watch chains and a panoply of productsfor the carriage trade. The formula for “pinchbeck”was a closely guarded family secret, but is thoughtto have been roughly 85% copper and 15% metalliczinc.(Long known in Asia, refined zinc was anexpense novelty in England in the 1730’s and1740’s).

One of the puzzles of the Admiral Vernonseries is that many well-preserved examples retainthe golden glow that one associates with“pinchbeck,” yet have a specific gravity consistentwith a composition of only 60% copper and 40%zinc (presumable calamine or cheaper zinc). Tohave a golden glow yet be so far from the classic

12

85%/15% “pinchbeck” composition raisesthe possibility of a surface treatmentsubsequent to the forming process.

In the medal depicted below thegolden glow is no longer present on the highpoints of the design, but it is also missing

from some of the lower, more protected areas, suchas the fields on the obverse and the upper harbor onthe reverse. Thus, it seems clear that the glow canbe removed both by friction and the elapsation oftime.

PBV 52-AAAObverse Reverse

The medal in question was cast andpresumably, the pinchbeck layer was appliedwhen the piece was broken out of the mold.With struck pieces, it would have beenpossible, if not likely, that the “pinchbeck”was applied to the raw flan. Thus, even ifone correctly infers from PBV 52-AAA thatthe surfacing process lacked permanence;one cannot conclude that this would alsohave been time for struck pieces, which arefar more common.

The best resolution of the issuewould be to subject a small sample ofVernon medals in pinchbeck to x-rayfluorescence or some other sensitive devicefor analyzing surfaces. Do any of ourmembers have access to such equipment?