American Art Medals, 1909-1995 is the first comprehensive study of the two most important series of art medals produced in the United States: the medals of the Circle of Friends of the Medallion (1909-1915) and those of the Society of Medalists (1930-1995). Together, these two series offer an unmatched panorama of American medallic sculpture in the twentieth century. Founded by the art writer Charles de Kay and the collector Robert Hewitt, Jr., the Circle of Friends of the Medallion issued only twelve medals in its brief existence. Occurring, however, at a time when the Beaux-Arts movement had brought medallic art to a higher prominence among sculptors than it has enjoyed before or since, the series is of great significance for the development of the American art medal. The Society of Medalists, during its life of sixty-six years, produced a much more extensive series: 128 regular issues (one of which includes six separate pieces), as well as four special issues designed for the Society (and one other special issue of an already existing medal). This body of work showcases the development of diverse artistic styles among figurative sculptors of the twentieth century, from classicism to modernism. The 123 sculptors whose work was presented in this series include almost every major American medalist of the era as well as several notable artists from other countries. In addition to cataloguing the issues of these two medallic art organizations, this book features an innovative effort to record the different colors and patinas in which the medals were issued. Especially for the Society of Medalists, whose long history meant that different production batches of a particular medal might have been made several decades apart, this hitherto neglected dimension in the study of art medals shows how changes in the surface finish can yield truly startling variations in the visual impact of a design.

This 200-page book explores one of America's greatest series of high-quality art medals, struck in .999 silver and bronze from 1963 to 1974 but largely forgotten by collectors today. The medals portray 94 Americans honored in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans that was launched in 1900 by New York University (NYU).Elected by a nationwide panel were men and women prominent in 15 categories including explorers, statesmen, writers, artists, scientists, poets, military men, historians, medical men and engineers. The medal series was boldly publicized after 1963 but faded away after 1974 despite exceptional designs by 43 of the country's leading medallic sculptors. The Hall of Fame included bronze busts of elected honorees placed in a colonnade flanking the Gould Memorial Library of NYU's Bronx campus. Since the early 1970's, this campus has been home to Bronx Community College. Medals were offered in 44.5-millimeter bronze and .999 silver as well as 76mm bronze. The complete roster as struck included such famous figures as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and comparatively obscure individuals such as actress Charlotte Cushman and oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury. Each medal bears a high relief portrait and a reverse design illustrating the honoree's achievements.The new book was compiled by one of America's leading scholars of medal history and is published by the Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP). It can be viewed through its link https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/booksbyauthor/130.

Excerpt from The Medallic History of the United States of America, Vol. 1 Although our political history measures but a hundred years, it records so many memorable deeds, and the names of so many illustrious citizens, that our medals form, even now, an historically valuable collection, to say nothing of the great artistiemerit of some of them. During the War of Independence alone, how many exploits, how many heroes do we find worthy of being thus honoredl How numerous would have been our medals if Congress had not been imbued with the conviction that only the very highest achievements are entitled to such a distinction, and that the value of a reward is enhanced by its rarity! In voting those struck after the War of 1812 with Great Britain, and after that of I846 with Mexico, the same discretion was shown. There was still greater necessity for reserve during the late Civil War, and only two were presented during that painful period: one to Ulysses S. Grant, then a major-general, for Victories, and another to Cornelius Vanderbilt, in acknowledgment of his free gift of the steamship which bore his name. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"During the past 150 years, the American Numismatic Society has been a leader in the publication of art medals in the United States. Generally employing the finest medalists available, the Society has set an example few can match. In addition, with the exception of the United States Mint, no U.S. entity can boast so long and distinguished a contribution in this area. Founded in 1858, the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society, as it was known from 1864-1907, believed the issuance of medals to be a part of its mission from the earliest years of its existence. Author Scott H. Miller includes 60 medals issued by the ANS between 1865 and 2014 along with two COAC medals and the 1910 Actors' Fund Medal, all accompanied by color photographs. Many entries are supplemented by artist's sketches and archival photographs as well as the stories behind each issue. Four Appendixes include recipients of some of these medals as well as the list of dies, hubs, galvanos, and casts of ANS medals in the ANS's own collection."