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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
11027 Posts |
Many coins from countries big and small depict statues - some as a primary design element, others as a small background element. The classic era US commemorative coin series includes coin designs at both ends of the spectrum as well as a few in between. What do you have in your collection? [ Please note: The intention of this thread is to showcase coins and medals that depict a free-standing sculpture, not a monument (e.g., Stone Mountain, Mount Rushmore) or a memorial building (e.g., Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, etc.)]. First up for me is the US commemorative silver dollar that was struck on December 14, 1899; the date was purposely chosen as Washington died 100 years earlier on the same day in 1799. The coin was issued in early 1900 without an official date on it (per the US Mint). I'm referring to the Lafayette Memorial dollar, the first US commemorative dollar coin. A coin that is firmly in the "primary design element" camp. (See the link below for details about the coin's date.) The obverse of the coin presents conjoined portraits of the Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington. The Washington portrait is based on the famous Jean-Antonie Houdon bust created in 1786, while the Lafayette portrait is baaed on the one sculpted by François Augustin Caunois for his Lafayette medal of 1824. It is on the reverse of the silver dollar that is found the depiction of a statue. The coin features a Lafayette equestrian statue sculpted by American artist Paul Wayland Bartlett; he was living in France at the time. The statue on the coin depicts Lafayette with his sword drawn and held in his outstretched hand. The sword is shown pointing down to symbolize Lafayette offering his sword (and the benefit of his military experience) to the Americans. The coin's obverse and reverse models were prepared by Charles E. Barber. It's important to note that the coin depicts a preliminary version of the statue; it would eventually be replaced. The version shown on the coin, in plaster, was presented to France on July 4, 1900 in conjunction with the Paris Exposition. Bartlett, however, was not happy with it, and completely reworked the statue and delivered a final version, in bronze, to France in 1908. 1900 Lafayette Memorial Silver Dollar   On the final version of the statue, Bartlett depicted Lafayette with an upraised right arm with his hand holding his unsheathed sword aloft; his left hand again holds the reins of his horse. Also, the hat that was previously worn by Lafayette was removed and various changes to the depiction of the horse were made. I would say the final version of the statue depicts a triumphant, post-American Revolution victory Lafayette vs. the early-in-the-war, outcome-still-TBD version of the French leader shown on the coin. Bronze Lafayette Statue, on its Pedestal, Erected in Paris, France Image Credit: George Grantham Bain Collection held by the US Library of Congress; Public Domain.For more about the Lafayette Dollar coin, check out: - 1900 Lafayette Memorial- 1900 Lafayette Memorial - Revisited- 1900 Lafayette Memorial - Date Discussion- 1900 Lafayette Memorial - Coins with Hats Thread- 1900 Lafayette Memorial - Coins Depicting Flora Thread - Discussion of Die Varieties - 1881 Yorktown Medal vs. 1900 Lafayette DollarFor more posts about commemorative coins and medals, see: Read More: Commems Collection. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
  United States
11027 Posts |
The 1916 and 1917 William McKinley Birthplace Memorial Gold $1.00 coins were sponsored by the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association ("Association"). The Association was incorporated by the US Congress in 1911. Per its incorporating legislation, "the object of the corporation shall be to perpetuate the name and achievements of William McKinley, late President of the United States of America, by erecting and maintaining in the city of Niles, in the State of Ohio, the place of his birth, a monument and memorial building." The coins feature a left-facing portrait of William McKinley on their obverse and a front view of the Birthplace Memorial building on their reverse. A statue of McKinley that is in the open-air Court of Honor in the center of the building can be seen on the coin in between its two middle columns. IMO, this is definitely a case of the statue being a background element! Charles Barber was responsible for the obverse of the coin; George Morgan handled the reverse. William McKinley Birthplace Memorial - Front - View (Image source: The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial, Erected by the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association. Booklet published in 1918. Public Domain.William McKinley Birthplace Memorial - Court of Honor View (Image source: The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial, Erected by the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association. Booklet published in 1918. Public Domain.1916 McKinley Birthplace Gold Dollar  For more on the McKinley Birthplace Gold Dollar, check out: - 1916-17 McKinley Birthplace Memorial- What If? 1915 McKinley Silver Dollar To access other of my posts about US commemorative coins and medals, see: Read More: Commems Collection.
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
1964 Saint Louis Heraldic Art Medal  In 1763, a trading company led by Pierre Laclede, who along with his stepson Auguste Chouteau set out in August of that year to build a fur trading post near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. The settlement of St. Louis was named after Louis IX of France and was established at a site south of the confluence on the west bank of the Mississippi on February 15, 1764, by Chouteau and a group of about 30 men. Laclede arrived at the site by mid-1764 and provided detailed plans for the village, including a street grid and market area. It attracted French settlers leaving Illinois when Britain took control east of the Mississippi. The city grew in population due to its location as a trading post on the Mississippi River, as the western fur trade was lucrative. The city played a small role in the American Revolutionary War and became part of the U.S. through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Apotheosis of St. Louis is located in front of the Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park, city of St. Loyis Missouri. 
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
1973 Queen Nefertiti 100 Greatest Masterpieces Medal  Nefertiti was an Egyptian queen and the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten, an Egyptian Pharaoh. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they worshiped one god only, Aten, or the sun disc. With her husband, King Akhenaten, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of Ancient Egyptian history. She is most likely the step mother of King Tut, as her husband King Akhenaten had an affair with his own sister who became pregnant and gave birth to King Tut. This was normal among royalty to keep the bloodline in the family. In c.1348 BC Ankhesenamun was born to Akhenaten and Nerfertiti, making her Tut's half-sister. At the age of ten Tut married her. He died at the age of 19. King Tutankhamun was a hobbled, weak teenager with a cleft palate and club foot. And he probably has his parents to blame as a result of incest. This medal shows the famous Thutmose, Bust of Nefertiti. The bust is displayed in Germany at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. 
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
1975 Diana 1892 Franklin Mint Treasures of American Art  1975, rather scarce sterling medal from the Treasures of American Art set of 100 medals. It has an image of a beautiful sculpture of the famous Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Diana - also known as Diana of the Tower - is an iconic statue by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The first version was destroyed by fire and what was left of the top half was either lost or discarded. I wouldn't mind finding that! Once a famous New York City landmark, the second version stood atop the tower of Madison Square Garden from 1893 to 1925. Since 1932, it has been in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature in Roman mythology, associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana was known as the virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Oak groves and deer were especially sacred to her. Diana was born with her twin brother, Apollo, on the island of Delos, daughter of Jupiter and Latona. She made up a triad with two other Roman deities; Egeria the water nymph, her servant and assistant midwife; and Virbius, the woodland god.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
1986 Wilhelm Tell Orden - Luzern Casino Meda  A medal to add to my other folklore medals. I remember very well the story of William Tell as a child. Perhaps being a youngster myself with good imagination, I could not quite grasp the idea of why he would take the chance of shooting his son in error. It's one of those things that stick with you I suppose. It has stuck with the Swiss for over 700 years. I have found this large 53mm 58 gram medal came with a red velvet ribbon to be worn about the neck, my best guess is that it is a modern silvered shooting medal from the mid 1980's sponsored by the Casino Luzern that is located on the shore of Lake Lucerne in Lucerne Switzerland. The casino is shown on the reverse. The Wilhelm Tell Monument is a memorial to William Tell in the market place of Altdorf, Canton of Uri, Switzerland. This is nicely depicted on the obverse. The bronze statue by sculptor Richard Kissling was inaugurated on August 28, 1895 at the foot of an old tower. Behind the scupture is a bronze plate with the following inscription that translates to It will be talked about (in the sense of "stories will be told about") the marksman Tell as long as the mountains stand on their base. It shows the Swiss national hero with his crossbow and accompanied by his son. At the base is the traditional date of Rütlischwur of 1307.  Rütlischwur is a legendary oath of the Old Swiss Confederacy, taken on the Rütli, a meadow above Lake Uri near Seelisberg. The oath is notably featured in the play William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) by Friedrich Schiller. The legend of William Tell, a folk hero from Switzerland, was the start of the swiss revolution, written first in the 15th-century White Book of Sarnen, and later the basis for Friedrich Schiller's 1804 play. Tell is arrested for failing to bow in respect to the hat that the newly appointed Austrian Vogt, Albrecht Gessler, has placed on a pole, and Gessler commands him to shoot an apple off his son's head with a single bolt from his crossbow. If he did not both he and his son would be killed. After splitting the apple with the single shot on November 18, 1307, Tell is asked why he took more than one arrow from his quiver. At first he responds that it was out of habit, but when assured he will not be killed for answering honestly, says the second bolt was meant for Gessler's heart should his arrow strike his son. In Schiller's play, the demand to shoot the apple off the boy's head motivates Gessler's murder.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Finally, for now . . . There are famous bronze sculptures by Frederic Remington that are also seen here on this set of large and heavy bronze medals by MACO. 1971 MACO Remington Medal Set 
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
24882 Posts |
1965 Russia. 1 Ruble 20th Anniversary of the Victory in Great Patriotic War.   Reverse Victory monument: Soviet Army Soldier - Sculpture in Treptow Park (Berlin).  (Educational purposes*)
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
  United States
11027 Posts |
The obverse of the 1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial half dollar features a right-facing, beardless portrait of Abraham Lincoln. The reverse presents version of the Illinois State Seal. George Morgan was responsible for the obverse design; John R. Sinnock handled the reverse. It is on the obverse that we find the "statue connection." In 1913, the Illinois General Assembly (IGA) passed legislation. and made a corresponding appropriation. to create statues of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas - two men forever linked in US history through their debates staged during the 1858 campaign for one of Illinois' US Senate seats. Johnson won the election. The IGA's appropriation placed the Illinois State Art Commission in charge of securing the statues; the Commission organized a contest to select the artists who would create them. Andrew O'Connor, a noted sculptor from Massachusetts, was chosen to create the Lincoln statue; Gilbert Riswold of Chicago was selected to create the Douglas statue. The two statues were dedicated on October 5, 1918 during a ceremony that was part of the Illinois Statehood Centennial celebration. The statutes are both currently on the grounds of the Illinois State Capitol. "The Lincoln of the Farewell Address" Statue (Image Credits: Library of Congress. Photographs and Prints Division, http://www. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/ Public Domain.
The O'Connor statue, known as "The Lincoln of the Farewell Address," depicts Lincoln as he stood at the back of a train in Springfield, IL on February 11, 1861 saying goodbye to his friends and supporters who had gathered to see him off as he left for Washington, DC to become the 16th President of the United States. Though Morgan did not include the entire statue on the coin, it is clear that the half dollar uses the O'Connor statue of Lincoln as its reference source for the Lincoln portrait. (Note: The statue is officially credited as such.) So, IMO, the 1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial half dollar easily qualifies for this thread! 1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial Half Dollar   For some of my other posts about the Illinois coin, see: - 1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial- 1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial - Revisited- Lincoln's Portrait on the Illinois Half Dollar- Official Seals on Classic US Commemorative Coins- ]1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial - Coins that Depict the Sun Thread- ]1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial - Coins With Stars Thread- ]1918 Illinois Statehood Centennial - Coins Depicting Flora ThreadFor more stories about other commemorative coins and medals, see: Read More: Commems Collection.
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
  United States
11027 Posts |
Next up is the 1925 Battle of Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar. The obverse of the coin is dominated by a depiction of the "Concord Minute Man" statue located in Concord, MA. The coin's reverse presents the Old Belfry Tower in Lexington, MA. Chester Beach modeled the coin's obverse design on the statue created for Lexington-Concord's centennial in 1875, the credit for the design thus needs to be shared with the statue's sculptor, Daniel Chester French. Daniel Chester French's The Minute Man Statue in Concord, MA (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons via Creative Commons License)The minute men (or minutemen) were citizen-soldiers - often farmers, or some other tradesmen - vs. professional soldiers. In his statue, French depicts his minuteman with his left hand gripping his plow (representing his primary occupation as a farmer) and his right hand holding a long gun that he will use, if necessary, to defend his family and home in his role as a part-time soldier. The statue has become iconic in the US, and has been used by the US Government on coins, postage stamps, war savings stamps and military payment certificates. It has also been used on countless commemorative/souvenir medals by private mints, especially during the US Bicentennial years. 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial Half Dollar   You can read my previous posts about the coin and its original packaging here: - 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial- 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial - Ephemera- 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial - Coins Depicting Places Thread- 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial - Coins Dedicated to a Military Topic- 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial - Coins With Stars Thread- 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial - Coins With Agriculture ThemeOther of my posts about commemorative coins and medals can be found here: Read More: Commems Collection.
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
Edited by commems 06/08/2021 08:54 am
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 United States
157721 Posts |
Fantastic topic idea and some very nice examples! 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5858 Posts |
 ...... 
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
  United States
11027 Posts |
The fact that the reverse of the 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial half dollar depicts a statue of King Kamehemeha I is easy to miss, but, once details of the design are revealed, it becomes very clear! The 1928 Hawaiian 50-cent piece was issued "in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook, and for the purpose of aiding in establishing a Captain James Cook memorial collection in the archives of the Territory of Hawaii." (Public Law 70-98)The obverse of the coin presents a left-facing portrait of Captain James Cook, the British explorer who is generally credited as the European "discover" of the Pacific Ocean islands, naming them the Sandwich Islands in honor of the First Lord of the Admiralty John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich of Great Britain, though some historians consider Spanish captain Ruy López de Villalobos as the first European to sight the islands, doing so as early as 1542. The reverse is most often referred to as a generic, native Hawaiian chieftain atop a hill with Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, the volcanic mountain, in the background. To my eyes, it's very clear that Hawaii-based artist, Juliette May Fraser, the woman who created the deign sketches for the coin, used the statue of King Kamehameha I by sculptor Thomas R. Gould as her primary reference. At the time Fraser was developing her designs, the statue was standing in front of the Judiciary Building in Honolulu, and available to Ms. Fraser as a reference whenever she desired. King Kamehameha I in Front of Judiciary Building, Honolulu (Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)Fraser may have created a tropical jungle scene in which she placed her chieftain, but it is the Gould statue of King Kamehameha I regardless of setting. 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial Half Dollar   You can learn more about the 1928 Hawaiian commemorative coin by checking out: - 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial- 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial - Revisited- 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial - Bank of Hawaii Auction- 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial - The Hawaiian Chieftain- 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial - The Coins Depicting Places Thread- 1928 Hawaiian (European) Discovery Sesquicentennial - The Coins Depicting Flora ThreadOther of my posts about commemorative coins and medals can be found here: Read More: Commems Collection.
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
  United States
11027 Posts |
The 1936 Elgin, IL Centennial commemorative half dollar was issued "in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city of Elgin, Illinois, and the erection of a heroic Pioneer Memorial." In regards to the coin's design, the enabling legislation stated "a special appropriate single design containing a replica of the "Pioneers" - a specific reference to the planned statue. The commemorative coin depicts a left-facing portrait of a rugged pioneer with full beard and wearing a fur hat on its obverse. The pioneer is also included among the group portrayed in the Pioneer Memorial statue shown on the coin's reverse; the statue celebrates the original pioneers who settled in and around Elgin. Trygve A. Rovelstad was the artist/sculptor behind the design of the coin and the statue. The Pioneer Memorial statue was supposed to be erected in Elgin as part of the city's centennial celebrations from money raised through sales of the 1936 commemorative coin. Coin sales did not generate enough to fully fund the statue's completion, however, and it remained unfinished until 1985. In the 1990s, a mix of public funds (city, county and state), along with private donations, finally raised the money needed to cast the statue and bring Rovelstad's vision fully to life. The statue was finally dedicated on November 11, 2001 - some 65 years later than expected. Unfortunately, Rovelstad died in 1993 and thus did not live long enough to see the statue erected. Here's a picture of the bronze statue in Elgin, near the eastern end of the Kimball Street bridge on the Elgin riverfront. (Image credit: Pioneer Monuments in the American West web site. Visit them here Pioneer Monuments in the American West for a great overview of American pioneer memorials.)1936 Elgin, IL Centennial Half Dollar   You can learn more about the Elgin coin here: - 1936 City of Elgin, IL Centennial- 1936 City of Elgin, IL Centennial - Revisited- 1936 City of Elgin, IL Centennial - Coins With Hands Thread- 1936 City of Elgin, IL Centennial - Coins With Beards ThreadMore of my posts about commemorative pieces can be found here: Read More: Commems Collection
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
Edited by commems 06/09/2021 08:39 am
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
  United States
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The Old Lynchburg Courthouse is featured on the reverse of the 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial commemorative half dollar. The Courthouse is seen in the background, with a standing figure of Liberty presented in the foreground. A portrait of Carter Glass, one of the two US Senators from Virginia at the time and the honorary chairman of the Lynchburg Sesquicentennial Commission is featured on the coin's obverse. Glass was opposed to his portrait appearing on the coin, but was outvoted. The coin was designed by Charles Keck. The Courthouse is across the street from the top of Monument Terrace, a grand staircase that extends from Church Street to Court Street in downtown Lynchburg. The staircase has a rise of approximately 80 vertical feet, and is comprised of 142 stairs and 11 landings; it is approximately 250 feet in length. Monument Terrace was designed by Aubrey Chesterman, an architect based in Lynchburg, and was constructed between 1853 and 1855. Monument Terrace in Lynchburg, VA (Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)The Terrace is home to multiple statues and memorials for Lynchburg's participants in military conflicts. Charles Keck's "The Listening Post" bronze statue at the plaza-level on the Church Street side is of particular note. The statue depicts a World War I soldier in uniform and helmet holding his rifle in his right hand (its stock is resting on the ground); the memorial was dedicated on November 11, 1926. (Note 1: "The Listening Post" is not visible on the coin, but included here due to is connection to Keck, the coin's designer.) (Note 2: Keck's statue replaced the ornamental fountain that originally was found at the base of the terrace.]"The Listening Post" Statue by Charles Keck at Base of Monument Terrace (Image Credit: World War I Commission, The Listening Post - Doughboy. Fair use.)At the top of Monument Terrace, is found the Confederate Soldier Monument. It is not presented in any detail on the coin, but it is clearly present as a background design element, The perspective selected by Keck for the Old Courthouse/Monument Terrace depiction on the coin makes it impossible to not include the statue without such omission being noticeable. Confederate Soldier Statue, Monument Terrace, Lynchburg, VA (Image Credit: Courtesy of the Lynchburg Museum System. Fair use.)The Monument presents a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier on a granite plinth, which, in turn, is placed on granite blocks. The soldier is depicted with his gun raised to his waist with its bayonet in place. The base, plinth and statue together reach a height of 25 feet. The soldier is facing west towards the old courthouse with his eyes described as looking towards the Appomattox, Richmond, and Petersburg battlefields. Such details are not visible n the coin. 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial Half Dollar   You can learn more about the Lynchburg, VA coin here: - 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins With Hats Thread- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins Depicting Places Thread- 1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins Depicting Mythology- ]1936 Lynchburg, VA Sesquicentennial - Coins With Hands ThreadFor other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, check out: Read More: Commems Collection.
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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An excellent group! 
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