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MEDAL SELECTIONS FROM NUMISMAGRAM: SKULLSJeremy Bostwick from Numismagram generally posts new material at the beginning of each month. Focusing primarily upon medallic art, his offerings typically include attractive
pieces ranging from military and historical topics, Art Nouveau and and Art Deco designs. At my request he helped me pick a couple to highlight. These two unusual medals touch on a macabre theme:
skulls and skeletons while celebrating famous anthropologists. -Editor
Medal for Anthropologist Blumenbach  GERMANY. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach bronze Medal. Issued 1825. Commemorating the Jubilee of the Anthropologist’s Doctorate (50mm, 68.58 g, 12h). By G. Loos and H. Gube. I FR BLUMENBACH NATO GOTHAE D 11 MAII 1752 DOCT CREATO GOTTINGAE D 19 SEPT 1775, bust left / NATURAE INTERPRETI OSSA LOQUI IUBENTI PHYSIOSOPHILI GERMANICI D 19 SEPT 1825, three human skulls, as classified by Blumenbach: Caucasian, Ethiopian, and Mongolian. Edge: Plain. Medicina in Nummis 398; Brettauer 125. Choice About Uncirculated. Rich glossy red-brown surfaces, with some underlying luster and only a few light marks. An interesting and haunting type. Blumenbach was an anthropologist from the University of Göttingen and specialized in the study and classification of human skulls from around the world—later known as craniometry. At the time of his death, he owned 245 whole skulls and fragments, along with two mummies. The term ‘caucasian’ as a descriptor of race was also derived from him, as his influential use of it in 1795 quickly caught on in scientific circles. For more information on Blumenbach and a modern analysis of his career—as well as a reference to this medallic issue—visit Nell Irvin Painter’s “Why White People Are Called ‘Caucasian?’,” which can be found at: glc.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/events/race/Painter.pdf . Unusual, but nicely done. Interesting background on where that term came from. -Editor
To read the complete item description, see: Medal for Anthropologist Vallois  FRANCE. Henri-Victor Vallois bronze Medal. Issued 1961. Commemorating the Achievements of the Anthropologist, Paleontologist, and Anatomist (67mm, 142.98 g, 12h). By J. H. Coëffin. DIRECTEUR DU MUSÉE DE L'HOMME ET DE L'INSTITUT DE PALEONTOLOGIE HUMAINE / HENRI V VALLOIS, bare head left / ANTHROPOLOGIE PALEONTOLOGIE ANATOMIE, skeleton standing right, in attitude of reflection, resting skull upon one hand and the other hand upon another skull set upon base inscribed G???? sea?t?? (know thyself). Edge: BRONZE «cornucopia». As Issued. Rich reddish-bronze surfaces, with a pleasing brilliance. A very rare and supremely interesting piece. Another highly acclaimed anthropologist, among other things, Vallois expanded upon Blumenbach’s classifications, arriving at 27 races in his 1944 work “Les races humaines.” This large module piece features a scarce representation of a skeleton—not as a symbol of death—but more as an aspect of contemplation. This idea is further reinforced by the Greek inscription upon the base, urging the viewer to look within and understand his or her own self before anything else. A powerful thought! Very contemplative. Nice. -Editor
To read the complete item description, see: Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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