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alanvweinberg - Lifesaving Medals

Lifesaving Medals

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30 items (showing items 1–20)

	Massachusetts Humane Society. 1815. Gold. 75mm × 55mm, 30.4 grams. Perhaps the earliest known (1815) gold American lifesaving medal in collectors' hands? For lifesaving medal enthusiasts, I cannot recommend highly enough the splendid and rather rare book The Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, A Historical Review 1785-1916 depicting all the various lifesaving medals issued thru the centuries by the Mass Humane Society and listing all the recipients by year. Fascinating and great plates including an oval GOLD 1792 Massachusetts Humane lifesaving medal, and pictorial to boot! And a gold 1816 very similar to my 1815. Gad!.
	Massachusetts Humane Society. 1838. Silver. 57mm × 40mm, 9.4 grams. In original oval case.
	Massachusetts Pilot's Charitable Society - David Kelso. Silver. 65mm × 55mm, 28.6 grams.
	Humane Society of Massachusetts - unawarded. Silver. Diameter 51mm, 50.6 grams.
	Humane Society of Massachusetts. 1869. Silver. Diameter 57mm, 84.9 grams.
	Humane Society of Massachusetts. 1888. Silver. 217mm × 57mm. The original plush case & the ornate silver mermaid attachments & suspension bars on this medal make it extraordinary to view. See the details of the suspension by clicking on the image. In original case.
	Underwriters of Boston - Lifesaving. 1889. Gold. Diameter 48mm, 32.1 grams. A superb, prooflike gold lifesaving medal masterfully engraved. Appears to be two or even three assembled pieces as the high relief rim was affixed and then it appears the inner beaded border was also inserted around the flat, thin engraved planchet. Found at the Pomona Ca gun show years ago.
	Lifesaving Benevolent Association of New York. 1853. Gold. Diameter 51mm, 86.1 grams. I've owned 3 or 4 of this established 1849 NY Benevolent Lifesaving gold medal by Lovett but this 1853, thick and deep yellow gold, is the earliest I've seen. As the years progressed, the gold planchets became thinner and likely a bit less pure until a superb gem 1906 I've owned was almost 1/2 the thickness of the 1853 and noticeably a paler gold than the deep yellow 1853.
	Lifesaving Benevolent Association of New York. 1858. Gold. Diameter 51mm, 54.6 grams.
	Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York. 1895. Silver. Diameter 51mm. You do occasionally find silver specimens but they are too often mishandled/cleaned. This Gem Proof toned in orig case is the finest I've seen. In original case.
	Citizens of New York to Henry Grinnell for Arctic Expedition. 1851. Silver. Diameter 38mm, 25.7 grams. An exceedingly rare medal, I've seen perhaps 2 or 3 other silvers in over 50 yrs of serious collecting, those others seriously battered, cleaned & mishandled - but awarded. This Gem Proof is unawarded but is very likely Grinnell's own specimen as it came with the below gold Grinnell and the scarf later mentioned. Ex David Kleiner, NY state perhaps 25 yrs ago, as a group.
	Citizens of New York to Henry Grinnell for Arctic Expedition. 1851. Gold. 76mm × 55mm, 52.7 grams. This is perhaps the most extraordinary, hand-made gold American medal I've ever encountered in 50+ yrs. The workmanship is stunning. The British and American flags suspension at top is too dark in the photos to appreciate but is highly detailed. The preceding silver specimen, ex rare (& finest known) in its own right, came with this gold medal in its original, recessed interior plush presentation case, along with a large pristine incident-pictorial textile scarf. The medals commemorate the unsuccessful Grinnell-financed arduous attempt to find & rescue the Sir John Franklin Arctic Expedition trapped in ice. The Franklin Expedition ship was found but all the crew had succumbed to cold and starvation. This is the very height of gold medal engraving & construction. Immaculate Prooflike Gem condition. Utterly breathtaking. Almost certainly pure 24 carat gold. In original case.
	United States of America Lifesaving Medal (LS-1). Silver. Diameter 67mm. In original case.
	United States of America Lifesaving Medal (LS-1). 1860. Gold. Diameter 67mm. Acquired from famed European numismatist Jacques Schulman on Amsterdam's Keisersgracht along a canal - older brother of Hans Schulman of America. While visiting Amsterdam, Jacques personally told me that the recipient of the medal was a Dutch pirate captain who happened onto the American lifesaving incident. Imagine a US President in 1860 awarding a pirate captain! The silver and these two golds are US Mint strikings. In original case.
	United States of America Lifesaving Medal (LS-1). 1861. Gold. 67 mm. There are, to my knowledge, only two gold Julian LS-1 in existence and one silver. I own them. Gad!.
	United States of America Lifesaving Medal (LS-2). Silver. Diameter 63mm. This superb, cased, gem Proof silver LS-2 and the abv cased LS-1 both came from the same source & I chased them tactfully for perhaps 20 yrs thru two owners. The LS 1 in silver may be unique. The LS 2 exists in perhaps 5-7 silver specimens but this is by far the finest. I've never seen a bronze LS-2 but have seen perhaps a dozen LS 1's in bronze. The primitive obv design on the LS 2 of a bearded bedraggled man amid storm-tossed waves is strangely appealing but no doubt led to a short life for this design- hence the medal's rarity. Golds were allegedly struck but I never heard a whisper of one being extant. Nor a bronze, for that matter. White metal specimens exist but they are likely not of US Mint origin, based on my several examinations. In original case.
	United States Lifesaving Medal of the Second Class (LS-6). Silver. In original case.
	James Buchanan - Dr. Frederick Rose, Susquehanna. Gold. Diameter 75mm. For more than 100 yrs, this massive Congressionaly-awarded US mint medal was joined with its equally impressive massive handmade gold medal, subscribed for by members of the surviving crew of the Yellow Fever-wracked USS Susquehanna warship. Then these two medals were separated in a NYC auction. I acquired the roped border hand-engraved gold medal from Chas McSorely in the 70's. I always wanted to re-unite the two medals & fortuitously the gold Buchanan struck medal, w/its magnficent US Mint-made leather presentation case with embossed images of coin motifs both sides, reappeared in a London sale. I acquired it & reunited the pair. In original case.
	James Buchanan - Dr. Frederick Rose, Susquehanna. Silver. Diameter 75mm. Probably unique in silver. The silver specimens of the large Congressional medals like this Dr Rose and the Seward are so rare that one must assume only a tiny number of silvers were struck and perhaps given to either the recipient's wife, family or the proposing/sponsoring Congressional member. Bronzes are far more numerous and struck, and restruck, for collectors.
	Dr. Frederick Rose Yellow Fever Medal. 1858. Gold. Diameter 74mm. In its original wood plushed lined (with flipping "window") case. See details of acquisition & history with the struck Buchanan Dr Rose USS Susquehanna gold medal above. In original case.