Hi everyone. Well the snow is coming so I decided to write a blog on an item that I have not seen in a long time on this site. Medals The medal below I last wrote about four years ago. Only three people are still here. The contents will be different.�� � � � The medal was made by a very famous medal maker . Jacques Weiner.� He was the oldest of three brothers all excellent engravers. Now this was made in 1856. He had made thirty before this. He decided to do a series on fifty cathedrals in Europe. Things were going well. But when he came to the 41 medal he had lost his sight from all the detail he put into his work.� � � � I saw this on a Heritage Auction. No one was bidding. Then again most people don't collect� medals and there were plenty to choose from. I saw the price and said I'm not winning this. I put a bid in and won!!� � � � �Now he liked to write history on his medals. The bottom reads St. Peters church Founded about 612 rebuilt and erected an Abbey 958-1049. Now the left reads The present church constructed 1220-1285 restored end of the XV11 centurty. Now the right side reads Westminster Hall built 1397and the chapel of Henry V11 commenced 1503.� Now that saved me allot of reserch.� � � �The name Hoydonk� was the name of the person who researched Wieners medals. His full name was Emil Van Hoydonk.Now Jacques Weiner lived in Belgium. Born in 1815 died 1899. Now his two brothers did very well. His brother Charles became the assistant engraver at the Royal mint. His brother Leopold was appointed first engraver to the Belgium mint. A very talented family. There work commands good prices.�

I hope everyone is well. Now i was going thru some coins and found this medal. I knew I had written a blog on this year's ago. I went back and read it. It was awful. So I decided to write the right way.! Years ago I belonged to the Ancient Order Of Hibernians. It is an ancient order formed in 1565 by Rory Oge O'Moore.. He organized it because the BrItish were cutting the heads of Catholic Priest which was the same price as the head of the Irish Wolfhound. They say a light left on at night meant it was a safe house for.a.Priest.� � � Now our 175 anniversary in the United States was coming up. There thinking was it you collect coins you know how to make them!.So i was volunteered to make this medal. I had no idea were to start. I knew we� needed an obverse and a reverse with meaning. So i contacted our Nation Historian. Mike McCormick.. He was the best. I contacted Tom McSorley to help me with phone calls.. I called the Highland mint since I did business with them before.�� � � � �They were very helpful. I thought they would ask for a sculpture . You don't know what they need.Mike did his research and came up with many designs. We would disagree on this one and that one. Then he found the obverse.� The American Flag and The Irish Flag from centuries before. We agreed. He added the Celtic cross above the shaking hands. Our motto Friendship ,Unity ,Christian Charity. The ribbon A.O.H. The date May 4, 1836. Now I sent it to the mint. Here was� the learning part. He taught me about making the dies. How deep did we want it ? What type metal. I knew some of the process. So I just said yes.� The reverse was easy . We were formed in Philadelphia and New York the same day!.So the Liberty Bell and the Statue of� Liberty. Heritage and Homeland. 175 for the years. Born in Liberty in English and Gaelic.. The dates on the bottom.�� � � � � � �This did not take a week. It took months. We disagreed and agreed.The phone calls to the mint . What size do we send. Color or black and white.�� � I asked the mint if I could have four medal made in silver proof. No problem no charge and numbered. The label says 2011 Medal.Ancient Order Of Hibernians #0002. 1OZ .999 silver PF 68 DCAM. This sounded easy but just can tell you this took six or seven months. I learned so much . From beginning to end. We ordered bronze.10,000. Now it cost if I remember 3.50 each. Or 4.00. We charged 25.00. Don't forget at this point we still defend the clergy. .But we raised funds� for.charity.Any charity . . We write the checks. Everyone benifits. We never have said no to a legitimate charity. We're very proud of that.� So that's an idea of some of the things . How many ? How much? Mailing, cost of shipping records. And the medal..� It's just not drawing a circle. You need a very sharp design. It couldn't be hand drawn. Putting it all together on a computer. So I saw it through.� The affects of my accident had got to bad. My decades of service had to end. They did make me a life member.� I had done many things for the Order. This was one of the highlights. Thanks hope you enjoyed it!So to Michael McComick who did the most. The research. He did us well with his knowledge. Without it we would still be working on it.!

Hi I hope.you are all well. When I read� Gary's great blog about his service to this country and the wonderful job he did . I asked myself what other unknown hero's are out there. I found the one below. There is not much to say about it but it tells how everyday citizens served in there own neighbood. I found this on ebay and it speaks so loud of our country.I had to have it.�

This is a medal I wrote about two and a half years ago. Since then I found new information that was not included in the first one. I won this beautiful medal at Heritage House. No one was bidding. It was a big auction and no one saw it. It was a sleeper. So I put in a bid and woke up the next day and won!! I looked into when I first saw it. The J was the key it stood for R. Julian. He wrote a book called " Medals of The United States Mint The First Century 1792-1892" .�� � � That's a book I would like to see. So we were celebrating a 100 years. Countries sent exhibits� Not to mention our own new inventions. Germany sent there new cannons I will get to others . First the medal. It was designed by William Barber. And put out by the mint. It's 58 mm� by 2and a quarter in diameter. It's made of bronze . In this grade there are 24 higher.�� � � � �There were tokens handed out and other medals made. Some in sets. Now there were 7000 large bronze medals made 2,100large copper 583 white medals one gold I could not find the number of silver. There was a silver medal also. There were different designs� They sold five medal sets.� � �The obverse says 1876 in commerce the hundreds anniversary of American independence act of Congress 1874. The reverse shows liberty holding an unheated sword pointing to the 13 stars.. It reads 1776 these United Colonies all and of right to be free and independent states. As I said I found a list new inventions of the day well the bananas not an invention but was introduced. A Remington Type Writer. A mechanical calculator with a handel.and a Mono Rail. Yes you read that right. There is a picture of the canons and the Mono Rail. And now you had Heinz Ketchup.�So you see we were not that far from becoming automated . We were advanced but not like some countries who had centuries on us. This great event was held in Pennsylvania were else would we celebrate. . Thousand attended there was food entertainment. They all had a great time. Imagine the banana who would of thought!! Enjoy on another note the grounds stood till 1954.�

Hi hope is all well. Today I will attempt to write about a medal done by Lauren Garden Fraser. This will be hard for me. We have on this site an expert on L.G.F.. He has been published and has won many awards about L.G.F. I will tell you I'm not in that league but I own the medal and everyone should share anything done by this great woman.� � .She was born on September 14,1889 and passed away� August13 ,1966.� She was talented beyond her years. From coin, to medals and sculptures. . She made so many its impossible to list them all. She loved animals like dogs and horses. In 1930 i believe she was chosen because of her great work to design a medal for George Washington's two hundredth birthday. . The medal below is one of the originals. It shows wear and tear. . It's 75 mm and weighs 239.5g and is one eighth thick. This are my figures I may be off a bit. There was a re-strike of this medal in the 1970's. and is 56 mms long.� � � Now the medal itself has George Washington on the obverse. Below that his standard now you might see under the bust of Washington the words Laura Garden Fraser. I put two small arrows so you can see it. The reverse has Lady Liberty . She's holding a torch in one hand and a sword in the other. The writing says "Proclaim Liberty Threw out The Land". It's a classic design.� The accessing number is 32119. If you go to� library� of a gallery you would look that number up and find this medal. Also there are thirteen stars around the top.� � � � Now I told you about The medal. I called it a classic. So were her other works.. There is not enough room for her other famous works. It seems anything she touched was a success. I looked at her coins and medals. There fantastic. Now I said we have an expert on L.G.F.� Gary i know wanted to� do justice to the woman but it's a blog. I hope I satisfied those who never heard of her. There is a coin you might know.a so called dollar of General Douglas MacArthur. It's a popular coin done by her. All there is a lot. Gary i gave it the old college try. . I hope you learned something about the Greatest and most talented� woman who ever created a medal ,coin or sculptures. There are not that many people that come around I in a lifetime. We were lucky to have her. Look up her works. You can use a book or Gary's Register site award wining.� Thanks and stay well. Mike.�