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alanvweinberg - Western Americana Medals

Western Americana Medals

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13 items

	City of San Francisco to Morgan L Mott, Alderman - Gold Nugget Medal. 1850. Gold. 63mm × 55mm, 62.9 grams. Ex Virgil Brand coll'n in as-issued mint condition. Hand-made in early San Francisco in 1850. One of the most magnificent hand-constructed American gold medals I've ever seen. Three-dimensional, encrusted gold nuggets & gold dust. Maker Thomas Gihon of SF's Gihon & Butler signed his name "Gihon Sc." (Latin for sculptor) at 5 o'clock reverse periphery. In original case.
	San Francisco Fire Department - Daniel Davis, Board of Delegates. 1865. Gold. 58mm × 46mm. With original ribbon.
	Michael Baldridge California Pioneer. 1849. Gold. 79mm × 43mm, 43.4 grams. Probably made by Michael Baldridge himself as a member of the famous Parker H. French California expedition of early California settlers. The inscription detailed the challenging route they took. Pictured/enlarged in Q. David Bowers' California Gold Rush History book. A uniface gilt brass version of this badge is rare but collectible. This is the only gold, hand-inscribed version known to me.
	Colorado Predident Young Mens Republican Club. 1888. Silver and enamel. 130mm × 52mm.
	William MCKinley - Butte Silver Bow Company. 1901. Silver, bronze and gold. 110mm × 51mm. In original case.
	Society of Colorado Pioneers Badge. Silver and gold. 96mm × 50mm.
	First National Convention of Cattle Men. 1884. Silver. Diameter 58mm, 57.6 grams. This medal is fairly common in white metal but is unique, to my knowledge, in silver.
	Hidalgo Smelting Co. Souvenir. 1892. Silver. Diameter 32mm, 16.8 grams. A smaller, die-struck and pictorial version of the below massive relic medal, these smaller Hidalgo smelter medals were also made from the first bar of silver and likely distributed to the American employees at the Mexican smelter. I've seen several.
	Hidalgo Smelters at Sultepec - to John A. Kennedy. 1893. Silver. Diameter 50mm. A massively thick & heavy "discus" of a relic medal made from the first bar of silver refined at this apparently American-run Mexican silver refinery.
	Western Union Engraved Plaque. 1880. Gold. 55mm × 85mm, 27.6 grams.
	San Francisco Post Office Plaque. 1901. Gold. 86mm × 127mm. In original case.
	James K. Polk Indian Peace Medal. Silver. Diameter 76mm. Ex President Millard Fillmore's Estate. Fillmore's personal specimen of his Polk IPM. Silver Polk IPM's are among the rarest in the Indian Peace medal series with 2-3 known of this 76 mm silver, of which this is the finest (Prooflike Unc)& with its original suspension ring. The Polk IPM's are unique in the series by having a curious concave field. The LA Times had an article avout two antique store ladies in La Jolla who were auctioning some political items from the Millard Fillmore estate (Fillmore's descendants lived in southern Calif). I called & ascertained that this silver IPM was in the auction and rec'd permission to drive down to La Jolla on closing night to bid on the medal at their home. It took 2 1/2 hours each way of careful driving in a heavy rain. I was there in their home when the bidding closed on the phone & they permitted me to top the high bid by $100. I learned that immed underbidders were the late Jack Collins representing John Ford and Rex Stark.
	1883 Ute Indian Captives Rescue Congress Medal . Silver. Silver, 18 grms, 36 mm rim to rim, exclusive of hanger. An 1866 Canadian Fenian Raid military medal planchet, w/original integral hanger, effaced/rim ground-down & re-engraved by masterful hand. Awarded by 1884 Congressional Act for heroism to a mixed-blood Indian scout McCann for rescuing white captives from the Ute Indians who dominated the Colorado and Utah plains. Reportedly mixed blood scouts did not warrant officially U.S. Mint-struck, Congressionally-authorized lifesaving or Medal of Honor medals due to pervasive racial feelings of the period. The Ute Indians apparently specialized in capturing white prisoners for bargaining as there is at least another incident of an Act of Congress medal to another different McCann (diff initials & obviously related to this recipient) Indian Scout for rescuing two "white children" from the Ute Indians a few yrs earlier. I chased this medal for 20 yrs when it initially sold elsewhere & ended up in an Oregon collector's estate from which I acquired this as a result of visiting a local historical bottle show & hearing of it-I immed recognized it for the medal I missed 20 yrs earlier. Images by master numismatic photographer Tom Mulvaney email tom@rarecoinphotos.com.