SOME INTERESTING MEDALS: NOVEMBER 9, 2014

Bressett 2012 Rittenhouse Society Medal

KENNETH BRESSETT 50TH ANNIVERSARY AS EDITOR OF THE RED BOOK, 2012. 56mm. Bronze. With a red-gold image of the Red Book pad printed on the obverse. Joel Iskowitz, Des. Luigi Badia, Mod. (MACO). The obverse bears the portrait of Kenneth Bressett to the right and the inscription, KENNETH BRESSETT AUTHOR EDITOR. Pad printed in red and gold is the cover of the 65th edition of The Guide Book of United States Coins – universally known as the “Red Book.” The reverse is quite similar to that on the Eric Newman 100th birthday medal and bears a double shelf of books with the names of all of Bressett’s works which he authored or for which he was editor. On the top shelf is a statuette of David Rittenhouse and inscribed on a banner below, the name, RITTENHOUSE SOCIETY. In the exergue is an open book with an outline portrait of Rittenhouse – from the 1796 painting by Charles Wilson Peale – his name on the facing page. MEMBER is inscribed above.

The Rittenhouse Society was founded in 1960 for sharing of information and goodwill among numismatic researchers. Members are elected, generally at the rate of one new member per year, in recognition of their past contributions to the body of American numismatic scholarship. The founding members were: Q. David Bowers, Walter Breen, Eric Newman, Ken Bressett, Grover Criswell, Dick Johnson, and Ken Rendell.

To our knowledge, this is the only medal struck in the United States utilizing the pad printing process. How appropriate it is that it should be one that involves the Red Book! Only 50 of these medals were struck in bronze. There were no strikes in gold or silver. $65.00

Anthony De Francisci Creation Medal

CREATION. SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS ISSUE #12, 1935. 73mm. Silver Plated Bronze.. Anthony De Francisci, Sc. About Uncirculated. Obverse: Creation. Reverse: Swirling Universe. De Francisci states, "In choosing the subject of "Creation" for this medal I tried to crystallize in a few inches of space the general belief held by astronomers the world over that out of the gigantic masses of whirling matter, dotting various sections of our visible firmament, worlds come generally into being." "The advent of life, either in its rudimentary or complex organism, is based on the hypothesis that life could evolve and endure on all planets receiving heat and light from a central orb." Only 100 medals were struck in silver. $65.00

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web