MAMMOTH CATALOGING PROJECT OF MEDAL-OF-VALOR WINNERS

As a researcher for Medallic Art Company in the 1970s I wanted a reference book on the recipients of all the award medals the company had made over the years. There were a number of books, I learned, on all kinds of awards, which often listed award medals but not all listed their recipients.

I realized, however, it was far more important, at least for the numismatic field, to have a list of the ARTISTS of all the medals the company made. This came about when I cataloged all the medals for the company archives. I recorded the name of designer, engraver, or sculptor-medallist who had created each medallic item and place this on a card file (subsequently entered on computer).. Years later, in retirement years, I had the time to amass this into a databank. I surmised at first there would probably be 800 or so such artists.

Today, 25 years later, that number of artists has reached 3,967 artists of American coins and medals. This is contain on 3,101 pages of an estimated 90.000 items. [These is some duplication as an item with more than one artists is entered under both artists.].

Imagine my amazement this week when I read an article on a Washington DC researcher who has created a databank of 115.000 names, the recipients of medals-of-valor awarded to military personnel. This is an astounding number! I know, in comparison to the amount of effort put forth for my databank.

For 14 years Doug Steiner has been dedicated to the task even the Pentagon has refused to do. He searches military archives for a record of one of the three top American decorations. when he finds a hit he photocopies the document and later enters the information in his massive databank.

At present he estimates his 115,000 names will eventually reach 350,000. He calls his databank a Hall of Valor.

In 2008 the publication Military Times purchased his databank and pays him a monthly fee to continue his searching. They have placed the file on their website.

Click on this URL to read the complete article written by David Zucchino and published in the Los Angeles Times: One man's heroic quest: Cataloging 350,000 medal-of-valor winners (articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/04/nation/la-na-medals-20121004)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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