MELVIN JONES: BESIDE HIMSELF

The Joel Iskowitz design for the obverse of the 2017 Lions Int'l Centennial Silver Dollar is not the first portrait of Melvin Jones to appear in metal. This is the Iskowitz obverse.

It will be interesting to see how this design translates into bas-relief as sculpted by Joseph F. Menna. The Coin World video of the First Strike Ceremony at the Philadelphia Mint did not give a clear close-up of the obverse. There was just the white glove proof picture captured from the video. So far I have not found still pictures of the actual coin from the US Mint. I believe it will be 2017 and the release of the silver dollar before the public will see the coin in dimension.

In 1937, the Chicago chapter of Lions Int'l issued a bronze medal bearing a portrait of Melvin Jones to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the service organization. In 1950, Lions Clubs Int'l itself commissioned another portrait of Jones, this time to celebrate the naming of Melvin Jones (1879-1961) as Secretary General for Life. For quite a few years after the death of the founder, this uniface portrait medal was used as an incentive premium to increase Lions Clubs membership enrollment.

The same sculptor did both the 1937 and the 1950 medals, Here they are side by side.

Both medals were struck by The Robbins Co. and sculpted by Julio Kilenyi during his tenure as a consulting Art Director for Robbins. This is a rare example in the 20th century of the same sculptor dong full face and profile bas-relief portraits of the same subject. And I often think this is the only time this philanthropic leader and do-gooder had his mug shots taken.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
2017 LIONS CLUBS DOLLAR FIRST STRIKE CEREMONY (/www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n46a27.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web