The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 6, February 6, 2005, Article 6

YOU GIVE A MEDAL TO A PERSON -- YOU GIVE A PLAQUE TO AN ORGANIZATION OR A GROUP OF PEOPLE!

Congress should have authorized a plaque for this deserving
group – to be bestowed to a museum or monument to this
group – even if such a building is not in existence when the
legislation is passed. Private interests would have built such
a monument to house this plaque so honored by Congress.

Then bestow a miniature of this plaque – in silver – to those
deserving individuals. And don#39;t forget to utilize those same
dies prepared by the U.S. Mint to strike the silver, to strike
bronze plaquettes for sale to the public. Perhaps the sale of
these bronze plaquettes could help fund the special monument.

Plaques are large bas-reliefs. It has long been a custom in
the medallic field to make reductions of important plaques
to personal-size medallic works. These works of art are
created by sculptors – the same artists who create coins
and medals -- who would model exact size for the large
cast plaque and the same pattern can then be pantographically
reduced to cut the dies for the smaller plaquettes The
Philadelphia Mint has this equipment on hand – their Janvier
die-engraving pantographs – they have just never used their
equipment in this manner before.

Was it was really the number and cost of those 29 gold
medals that gave concern to the backers of the proposed
legislation? Granted the U.S. Mint must assume the cost
of modeling, patterns, dies and striking Congressional
Medals -- let alone the cost of three-quarters of a million
dollars worth of gold for those 29 medals -- but it is the
duty of the U.S. Mint to carry out the medallic wishes
of Congress.

Let Congress learn how to honor groups or organizations.
Let the U.S. Mint technicians stretch their capable talents
with their own equipment. Let the public purchase the
bronze miniature plaquettes."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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