MORE ON GUTTAG BROTHERS TOKENS

Bob Rightmire is a dedicated researcher. He has been searching for Guttag Bros store cards for a number of years. In answer to his August 2009 inquiry I responded that he faced a lifetime pursuit. His inquiry in last week’s E-Sylum about a lead mule is evident of the longevity of his search.

All Guttag Bros items were modeled by Jonathan M. Swanson. Swanson was not only an experienced medallist he was also president of the New York Numismatic Club, 1923-1926. If Guttag was a member, he could easily commission Swanson to create his firm’s store cards, first in 1926. If not he probably was aware of Swanson’s reputation.

All Guttag Bros medallic items were struck by Medallic Art Company. In my response to his August 2009 inquiry I related the difficulty I faced cataloging Guttag Bros issues for Medallic Art. There were no files of any of their medallic items. I had a couple sample medals so I assigned these 26-37 for their 1926 Philatelic Exhibition Medal -- that’s the one with facing portraits of Lincoln and Washington -- and 27-36 for the firm’s National Coin Week Medal which they had founded for the American Numismatic Association. This is the piece illustrated and Bob’s recent acquisition that he is inquiring about.

Without any further information I estimated at least five more varieties would be found. Collectors like a lot of varieties, so I foresaw the possibility of Guttag Bros ordering mules and multiple composition pieces. All Guttag dies were the same diameter so that made muleing easy.

Bob Rightmire deserves a gold star for his persistent digging for the facts in this project. No. Make that a medal, a Guttag Medal!

SWANSON, Jonathan M. (1888-1963) medalist, sculptor, painter, numismatist.

Full name: Jonathan Marmaduke Swanson.
Born Chicago, Illinois, 21 July 1888.

Active member, officer, and most noted as sculptor of presidential portraits New York Numismatic Club series, he was president of this organization 1923-1926. He exhibited these prominent numismatists' portrait medals at the National Academy of Design in New York City: Valentine (1923), Frey (1924), Saltus (1924-W), his own portrait (1927-W), and Blake (1929-W). With the exception of a few of these NYNC presidential medals (1917-23) all of Swanson's medallic work was struck by Whitehead & Hoag until 1923; all afterwards by Medallic Art Company.

Died New York, February 1963.
Signed dies JMS monogram (11 different).

1926 Guttag Brothers Numismatic Allegorical Figures Galvano
(model for rev of 1927 International Philatelic Expo Medal, MAco 26-37 below; and obv of Guttag Bros.
Storecard Medal, 27-36 below) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Collection: American Numismatic Society

1933 New York Numismatic Club 25th Anniversary Howland
Wood Portrait Galvano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auctions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCA 72:602

1926 International Philatelic Exhibition Medal (obv with Washington and Lincoln portraits; rev with Guttag Brothers inscription and logo). . . . . . . . . . . . MAco 26-37,
Baker 730, King 932

Auctions:. . .
CAL 35:2291;
J&J 8:556,
J&J 10:1624-1626;
NAS 22:4217;
PCA 44:654,
PCA 45:659,
PCA 46:903-905,
PCA 46:1169

1927 Guttag Brothers National Coin Week Medal . MAco 27-36- 1 Auctions:. .
CAL 35:816-817;
J&J 8:557-558,
J&J 10:263,
J&J 18:479,
J&J 25:1433;
PCA 46:905,
PCA 46:1169

1927 New York Guttag Brothers Medal . . . . . . MAco 27-36- 2 Auctions:. . . . . .
J&J 13:601,
J&J 27:925;
PCA 59:1626
Illustrated: The Numismatist 39:11 (November 1926) p 619

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
QUERY: RESEARCHER SEEKS 1926 GUTTAG BROTHERS TOKEN (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n32a12.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MARCH 18, 2018 : Query: Guttag Brothers Store Card Information Sought (http://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n11a10.html)

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