The E-Sylum:  Volume 11, Number 9, March 2, 2008, Article 13

DICK JOHNSON ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S LOUBAT MEDAL

Dick Johnson writes: "The Loubat Medal was indeed administered
by Columbia University. Columbia administered so many awards
they became very sophisticated in medal award programs. To
name a few:  The Pulitzer Medal, of course, (separate medals
for journalism, letters, music), the Barnard Medal (physical)
or astronomy sciences), Butler Medal (philosophy or education,
Maria Cabot Medal (journalism), Charles Frederick Chandler
Medal (chemistry), James Furman Kemp Medal (geology), Ambrose
Monell Medal (mineral technology), Columbia University Medal
(public service -- Columbia employees exempt!), the Vetlesen
Medal (earth science) and the little known K.C. Li Medal (for
new applications of tungsten).

"Columbia University was such an important client of Medallic
Art Company (when I first worked there in New York City and
before the distraction of the American bicentennial) that the
firm's vice president himself called on the Columbia Awards
Office. The firm made most of their medallic awards. Even
when the plant moved to Danbury Connecticut the vice president
maintained an office in New York City just to serve such
clients as Columbia.

"Early on when I was researching medal prospects I discovered
the somewhat dormant Loubat Medal and asked the VP about it.
As best as I recall, the dormancy was due to a lack of
recommendations for the award.

"The most recent awards of the Loubat medal I could find
were for James Randall's book 'Lincoln the President--Midstream'
published 1952 and Milford Mathews' book 'A Dictionary of
Americanisms' 1951.

"The medal bore a portrait of Joseph Florimond duc de Loubat
and was struck in France. It was created in 1910 by medallist
Frederic Charles Victor de Vernon.  Incidentally, Joseph Levine
sold one in his 66th auction sale (November 13, 1999, lot 1398)
where someone got a terrific bargain for $27 plus 10 percent
buyer's fee."

[The award is "in recognition of the best works printed in
the English language on the history, geography, archaeology,
ethnology, philology, or numismatics of North America."
Numismatics is the reason for our interest in the award.
Perhaps the Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS), Numismatic
Literary Guild (NLG), American Numismatic Association (ANA)
or American Numismatic Society (ANS) will consider nominating
a work on North American numismatics for a future Loubat
prize. -Editor]

 ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S LOUBAT PRIZE
 esylum_v11n08a09.html

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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