SOVEREIGN RARITIES AUCTION 9 MEDALS

 

There's a lot of important numismatics out there, and some of it's expensive. On the other hand there are some rare, interesting and undervalued commemorative medals which don't always attract a crowd. Readers might consider looking at the modern art medals in our forthcoming auction. There are medals by Thérèse Dufresne, who's considered important in this area. There are medals by Kauko Rasanen, for example the three-part medal in the banner above, and other artists, which are genuinely sculptural. Some of these modern artists have large commissions in public spaces in their own country.

Some background:

• Thérèse Dufresne (1937-2010), French artist, sculptor and medallist, whose large, heavy art medals comfortably illustrate the intrinsic link between medals and sculpture.
• Kauko Rasanen (1926-2015), was a prominent Finnish sculptor and medallist. He was awarded the Medal of Merit of the Finnish Sculptor Association, which was designed by Rasanen himself, and won the coveted Saltus Award in 1987 from the American Numismatic Society.
• Aimo Johan Kustaa Tukiainen (1917-1996) was a Finnish sculptor who chaired both the Artists' Association of Finland and the Association of Finnish Sculptors. His body of work includes portraits, medals, monumental and small sculptures. His best-known sculpture is the Equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim, in Helsinki.
• Erkki Kannostos best-known work is perhaps his Monument to the Red Prisoners, in Fellmans Park.

There's also a run of chunky, tactile (heavy mind you) medals from the national mints of France, Spain and Portugal.

 

Lot 257:
Société Française des Amis de la Médaille, large bronze medal by F.J., undated, c.1950s, female figure by medal press, holding medals portraying the bust of Athena, SFAM, rev. collage of medals depicting the bust of Athena in the art deco style, 80mm. Extremely fine, scarce.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 257: Société Française des Amis de la Médaille large bronze Medal (https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_bidding&view=timed&layout=details&id=755332)

 

Lot 259:
Boston, high relief bronze medal, 1985, by Thérèse Dufresne (1937-2010), cityscape of Boston, signature lower right, rev. tall ship and doorway, 69mm. Extremely fine, scarce.

Thérèse Dufresne (1937-2010), French artist, sculptor and medallist, whose large, heavy art medals comfortably illustrate the intrinsic link between medals and sculpture.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 259: Boston by Thérèse Dufresne (https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_bidding&view=timed&layout=details&id=755335)

 

Lot 288:
Exposición Ibero-Americana de Numismática Medallistica de Barcelona, 1958, bronze medal, by FJ, issued by the FNMT, female figure seated left, rev. hands holding hammer and tongs, medal screw press, etc., 75mm; together with Lancashire and Cheshire Numismatic Society, Manchester Museum Exhibition, 1983, base metal medal; 50th anniversary of Krause Publications, 2002, silver or copper-nickel medal; 5th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Numismatic Society of Calcutta, 1999, copper medal. Extremely fine. (4)

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 288: Spain Numismatics bronze Medals (4) (https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_bidding&view=timed&layout=details&id=755333)

 

Lot 251:
Centenary of L. M. Ericsson, 1876-1976, bronze and silvered bronze, three-part medal, 1975, by Kauko Rasanen (1926-2015), male and female figures representing telecommunications seated vis-à-vis, rev. quasi-janiform image, a male and a female, incuse and in relief, talking and listening; within the outer parts a separate, silvered-bronze ovoid medal with reclining female nude, talking into a phone, and the facing head of a man also talking into a phone, L M ERICSSON 1876-1976, outer parts 70mm. Extremely fine, rare and very high quality.

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, commonly known as Ericsson, the Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company, celebrated its centenary in 1976. Today the company sells infrastructure, software, and services in information and communications technology for telecommunications service providers, and its 150th anniversary will take place in just a few years time.

Kauko Rasanen (1926-2015), was a prominent Finnish sculptor and medallist. He was awarded the Medal of Merit of the Finnish Sculptor Association, which was designed by Rasanen himself, and won the coveted Saltus Award in 1987 from the American Numismatic Society. We could be equally justified in describing a medal such as this, sculpture.

For other medals on the theme of telecommunications see lot 289

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 251: Centenary of L. M. Ericsson (1876-1976) (https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_bidding&view=timed&layout=details&id=755324)

 

Lot 254:
50th Anniversary of Aspo-Yhtymä Oy, 1979, bronze medal by Aino Tukiainen (1917-1996), image including shipping, rail freight, haulage and other elements of the logistic industry, rev. network or pipelines or conduits against a backdrop of storage containers, 78mm (National Museum of Finland SMM442010:25); together with Finland, Reino Lindroos, heavy bronze medal by Erkki Kannosto, 80mm. Extremely fine, both medals scarce. (2)

Aspo-Yhtymä Oy was founded in 1929 and is part of the Aspo Group, which has interests in logistics, environmental technology, and industrial machinery.

Aimo Johan Kustaa Tukiainen (19171996) was a Finnish sculptor who chaired both the Artists' Association of Finland and the Association of Finnish Sculptors. His body of work includes portraits, medals, monumental and small sculptures. His best-known sculpture is the Equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim, in Helsinki.

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 254: Finland 50th Anniversary of Aspo Yhtymä Oy 1979 (https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_bidding&view=timed&layout=details&id=755326)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web