VOCABULARY TERM: EDGE LETTERING, PART 5

Lettering on Edges

Edge lettering. Wording appearing on the edges – other than names – are the most found edge marking. These include names of the issuer, recipients, sponsors; a wide variety of inscriptions and other data in word form.

Examples of the publisher or sponsor's name include the Albatross Club Medal of 1951 carries the name of the Gruman Aircraft Corporation and its address. The Levi Eshkol Medal of 1967 carried the name of the sponsor, the American Israel Numismatic Association.

One of the most unusual examples of advertising is the 25th Anniversary Medal of Medallic Art Company, in which the medal carried the edge lettering: VANDERBILT 8780, the firm's telephone number! (A year later the firm moved and was issued a new phone number; they obliterated the old number on existing medals, and issued a revised edition with a new number: ELDORADO 3133.)

Slogans have infrequently appeared on edges. An example is a lengthy one on the Pilgrim Medal of Defiance College (in raised letters) which reads: RELIANCE IN SELF, PRIDE IN WORK, COURAGE IN CONSCIENCE, STRENGTH IN EDUCATION, FAITH IN GOD.

One of the most charming edge lettering is found on the Mayflower Medal of 1957. It reads: SIGNING MAYFLOWER COMPACT IN PROVIDENCETOWN (CAPE COD) HARBOR NOVEMBER . 11 . 1620.

Sculptor Joseph A. Colletti (1898-1973) had his name impressed on the edge of every medal made during his lifetime, including such notables as the Dante Medal and one of Albert Schweitzer. Since his death some of the medals have been reissued without his name impressed on the edge (per his written instructions before he died), thus giving rise to two varieties.

Plated medals should have the identity of the base metal stamped on the edge. Such edge lettering would preclude the necessity to make test cuts to identity the under composition. Unfortunately this was seldom done in practice, but modern custom is identifying the base medal on the edge.

Bilingual lettering has occurred on medal edges. Modern Israel has both English and Hebrew inscriptions on medals, particularly state medal issues.

Lettering removed from the edge is usually the name of the recipient (J&J 25:1131) and is called obliterated. The removal of any lettering or figures from the edge is a form of vandalism.

An inscription on the edge of a coin or medal in German is called randschrift.

Seams and solder. Although it is sometimes overlooked, a seam may be observed on the edge of a numismatic or medallic item. As such it would indicate an electrotype or galvano medal in which two separate sides were made separately and then joined together.

Solder marks are infrequently found on the edges where sometimes a loop or hanging device has been removed. This is the evidence that an astute cataloger would state "once mounted."

Trimming marks. Tooling and trimming marks may also be found on edges of medals. All medals not struck in a collar, that is struck by open face dies, must be trimmed of their excess material (flash) after they are struck. Small medals (under 2-inch diameter) – and all unusual shaped medals – are trimmed with a trimming tool and cutter plate. If there is a nick on the cutter plate this will show up as a ridge or striation going across the width of the edge. This is from the shearing action of the punch forcing the medal through the aperture in the cutter plate.

Another example of tooling on large round medals are those that are turned on a lathe (turning off). Their flash is removed by turning on a lathe with a tool cutting off this excess material. The edge is usually squared off with emery cloth. If tool marks are left on without a smoothing off these marks are called annular rings.

Thus we have observed that many kinds of information can be derived from edge marking. Some of it, however, may require reference to numismatic literature to learn of its meaning.

Errors of Edge Lettering

Errors of any lettering on the edge of a coin or medal are called blundered edge lettering. Most of these are of spacing, where letters are missing or overlapping other letters (resulting from misplacing or misapplying where this lettering is applied with a roller die). These would appear for only an individual item. A more series error would be where this is in the lettered collar, where all items struck from that collar would exhibit the blundered lettering.

Where lettering is applied by hand engraving or inscribing, the erroneous lettering would be human error of the craftsman.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Edge Lettering and Numbering (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/515813)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
VOCABULARY TERM: EDGE LETTERING, PART 4 (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n23a11.html)

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