MARCEL JOVINE (1921-2003)

 

 

Last week in The E-Sylum, Dennis Tucker called Marcel Jovine a largely unsung numismatic superstar. I won't attempt to sing, but I can write a bit about him.

Marcello Jovine was born in Castelliammare di Stabia, a comune within Naples, Italy, on July 26, 1921. After the death of his mother, he lived with an aunt and uncle. He studied engineering and architecture at the University of Naples and later the Royal Academy of Turin.

While at the Italian Military Academy, he enjoyed drawing classes. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Italian Army signal corps during the Second World War. In Tunisia he was captured by British forces and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Pennsylvania. There he designed a chapel built by prison stonemasons. Performing with the USO in the camp was Angela D'Oro. They married in September 1946 and had two children. She died in 2000.

Marcello Jovine was repatriated to Italy after the war but returned to New York to be married. He Americanized his name to Marcel. Initially he worked as a window designer. Working with rubber cooked on the stove at home, he created a prototype baby doll. He sold the concept for the Blessed Event Doll to the Ideal Toy Company. With royalties from strong sales, they settled in a Victorian house in Closter. New Jersey. Closter was also the home town of Abram Belskie and Joseph DiLorenzo.

Around 1958, he produced plastic toys and illustrated books that were included in boxed sets for Playbook. Inc. These were in a series of six volumes including Vol 1, The Three Little Pigs; Vol 2, Little Red Riding Hood; Vol 3, Jack and the Beanstalk; Vol 4, Hansel and Gretel; Vol 5, The Three Bears; and Vol 6, Cinderella.

His best-known toys were produced for Renwal in 1959 as the Visible Man and Visible Woman.

He followed with The Visible Engine. Similar figures had been produced before and would continue to be produced by various companies including Revell. Perhaps a die study could determine if these were copies from the Jovine original or reimaginations by other artists.

In 1964 he collaborated with Joseph DiLorenzo to produce the Closter Tercentenary Anniversary Medal for his town. It was his first attempted medal.

Jovine was known for producing medals in series. These are some of them.

1972 The American Destiny Series struck by Metals Arts of Rochester, New York.

1972 In collaboration with DiLorenzo, a 36-medal set of endangered species sponsored by the Sierra Club for Longines-Wittenauer and struck by Metal Arts.

1974 A six medal set for the centennial of Pasadena, California.

1975 The first in a 14 medal series of calendar medals for Medallic Art Company.

1976 Two medals for Medallic Art for the Viking I and II Mars Landing.

1977 Seven medals for Medallic Art for the Charles Lindbergh Memorial Series.

1984 Twelve medal set of Zodiac medals.

He produced a number of sculptures of thoroughbred horses standing and in action. Among the named horses were Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Nashua and John Henry.

In 1980 he created the 110th medal for the Society of Medallists. He also did a piece for the Society of Medallists, The Yankee Doodle American Bicentennial, that was not part of the SOM series.

 

In 1983 he was commissioned by the American Numismatic Society to create their 125th Anniversary medal. Then in 1984 he was honored by the ANS with their J. Sanford Saltus Medal for Medallic Art. This was followed by the American Numismatic Association Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture in 1987.

In 1985 he produced a work for Brookgreen Gardens.

In 1986 he did his first medal for the United States Capitol Historical Society.

He served as president of the National Sculpture Society in 1988 to 1991.

He died at the home of his daughter in Greenwich, Connecticut, on January 20, 2003, and is buried at Englewood, New Jersey. A book on Jovine was proposed but not completed. As a source for that, Dick Johnson produced a list of 178 coins and medals created by Jovine. Dick did not provide a count for his sculptural pieces.

Jovine designed these American commemorative coins:

• 1987 Constitution Bicentennial $5 gold coin obverse and reverse.
• 1988 Olympiad $5 gold coin, reverse.
• 1990 Eisenhower Centennial dollar, reverse.
• 1991 Mount Rushmore half dollar, obverse.
• 1992 Olympic baseball silver dollar, reverse.
• 1995 Atlanta Olympic Stadium $5 gold coin, obverse.
• 2001 United States Capitol Visitors Center clad half dollar, reverse. His model was combined with one by Alex Shagin

He designed one world coin:

• 1991 Marshall Islands $5 gold coin for Space Shuttle Columbia.

As a researcher, I frequently need to filter out incorrect information. One source says that he created The Visible Manitoba. I am pretty sure that is incorrect.

The E-Sylum has published several previous articles on Jovine. I am betting that Wayne will list them.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
MEDALIST MARCEL JOVINE DIED THIS WEEK. (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v06n04a09.html)
SYMPOSIUM HONORS MEDALLIST MARCEL JOVINE (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n11a05.html)
MARCEL JOVINE PHOTO PROJECT COMPLETED (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n32a14.html)
KENTUCKY DERBY CENTENNIAL MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n21a27.html)

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