The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 4, January 26, 2003, Article 9

MEDALIST MARCEL JOVINE DIED THIS WEEK.

  Dick Johnson writes: "Marcel Jovine, who raised the bar
  for American medallic art by his highly creative and detailed
  medallic designs, died Monday, January 20, 2003 in
  Greenwich, Connecticut.  He was 81.

  Jovine was born in Italy, captured in World War II and
  brought to America as a prisoner-of-war.  Repatriated to
  Italy, he returned to America in 1946, determined to make
  a career of his sculptural talents. He is noted for his coin
  designs -- the earliest of which for the 1987 U.S.
  Constitution $5 gold commemorative -- he was allowed
  to do both sides.

  For the half dozen other commemorative coins he was
  only allowed to do one side. But it was his medallic art
  where he truly excelled. He did two regular issues for The
  Society of Medalists including an oversized concave-convex
  "Creation" and the American Bicentennial tribute, "Yankee
  Doodle." No other artist made three medals for The Society.

  His 15-year series for the Medallic Art Company Calendar
  Medal Series was noted for extremely detailed designs, often
  running around the edge of the medal in an unbroken circle.
  These always had strong visual themes:  American Bicentennial,
  Old Glory, Zodiac, Sailing Ships, Olympic Winter Games,
  Flight, American Automobile, Statue of Liberty, Pegasus
  and the American Circus.

  He will also be long remembered for his space medals, a
  twin medal set for the Viking I and II Mars Landing
  achievement, and the U.S. Russian Apollo-Soyuz Space
  Medal. The later was so creative the legend was in English
  on one side and in Russian on the other. He even signed his
  name on both sides, once in English, once in Russian.

  He did two medals for the United States Capitol Historical
  Society, and a string of medals for other American medal
  series. One of those was seven medals of Charles Lindbergh,
  and six for the Pasadena California Centennial.

  Among numismatists, however, his memory will exist for
  centuries for perhaps the most notable numismatic medallic
  work of the 20th century. This was the American Numismatic
  Society's 125th Anniversary Plaquette in which he replicated
  dozens of the most famous coins and medals from the
  Society's collections. I have chosen this work as the
  frontispiece of my upcoming directory of American Artists.
  This piece projects the essence of numismatics and vivifies the
  field we all hold dear in a stunning work of medallic art!
  Thank you, Marcel, I will miss your jolly, convivial friendship."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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