Really nice medal MyHobby. I love exonumia that comes in the original packaging. Any idea who Alma Beese might be? The medal looks huge. Do you know the size? Bruce
I think this is one of the nicest medals I've ever seen issued by a coin club. I got it off of eBay with several other pieces for only $16. Not a bad deal in my opinion. You gotta love the colors. I'll post the other medal when I get a pic. Bruce
Thank you Bruce. I have no clue who that lady is. But I will google her name tomorrow, maybe I will find some info. The medal is not that big 55mm, however the box 10 cm+.
Central Valley Coin, Hobby & Antique Show, Turlock, Ca. Good for 50c on the bourse. Brass, M/A 5.5grms, 31mm
Unusual show toen longnine. I don't think I have any coin club exonumia on a scalloped planchet like that. Bruce
I'm not sure what material it is Sam. It looks to be antiqued bronze with enameled inserts front and back. It's been completely sealed with an acrylic of some sort. The surface is smooth as glass. The rim is also medal but there are no edge markings at all. A really interesting combination of materials that give it an unusual look. Bruce
Here's the other medal I bought along with the Hawaiian piece. The R.N.A. is one of the oldest clubs in the country and has issued many nice pieces of exonumia over the years. This example is a bit unusual as it was issued in 1958. In my experience, coin club medals were n't issued in great numbers until the 1960s and 1970s. This is one of the earlier ones. Bruce
Hey Bruce, this is pretty common with Challenge Coins. Many in my collection have a sort of plastic material around it. This material is reactive like coins are, as far as I can tell. I kept several of my Challenge Coins in the PVC envelopes that they came with (this was way before I knew any better) and over time they don't look right, like a greenish hue. I suggest keeping it in a flip or whatever other medium you use to keep you coins safe. Mine are in Air-Tites...even the ones with the coating (but I'm an Air-Tite fan). Also, I'm getting pretty settled in here right now so very soon I'll be bombing this thread with my latest military trade tokens. My latest lot seems pretty rare and includes unlisted demoninations.
Thanks for the info Jwt. I keep all my medals in 2x2 flips but the non PVC ones to protect them. I've never seen any damage to any of them but this one is different I suppose. Looking forward to seeing all of your new pickups. Good to hear from you again. Bruce
Hey Bruce it was my not knowing any better mistake. Back when I got the challenge coins I wasn't into coin collecting and I just left them in the case they came in. 7 years later and they look a little different.
I picked this piece up because my Father had attended this fair, and had given me some other items he had purchased while there. Therefore, I'm always looking around for additional memorabilia. The obverse has the appearance of a medal while the reverse calls it's self a Lucky Penny. If you carried it in your pocket as such, you would probably never loose it. At 60 grams and 57mm, you should be aware if it's no longer with you.
Big and impressive Sam. So heavy it would probably tear a hole in your pocket...but at least you would know you were losing it. Bruce
If it fell out on your foot, it might cause you to hobble. It's like carrying a good sized rock in your pocket. :>)
I picked these two pieces up at a small flea market in San Francisco today. This is a piece from the Golden Gate International Exposition 1939 that I have not seen before. It is brass holed as made and 25.5mm in diameter. The obverse reads Isla Del Tesoro Pedazos De Ocho 1939. The reverse is the logo of the expo. This piece is an Honor Medal Award / National Campaign Committee / Life Payments / Retirement Association / $30.00 A Week For Life / For Special Campaign Service. It is dated Nov. 7, 1939 which was election day. It is brass and 33mm in diameter.
I like both of your medals Ed but especially the Golden Gate piece. I noticed that there doesn't seem to be any wear in the hole so it was probably never worn. Sometimes that part of the medal or coin gets significant damage and detracts from the overall look of the piece...not the case with yours though. I often see that on counterstamped coins. Congrats on two nice pickups. Bruce
I picked up this counterstamp on eBay a week or two ago. It will be listed by Brunk in the new edition of his book but he has only documented one example, an 1837 Hard Times token. The stamp on this 2-Reales piece is unusual in that counterstamps are fairly rare on this relatively small coin. Apparently, they didn't circulate much in the U.S. as did the larger Spanish silver coins. Not much is known about Asa S. (Smith) Holton despite his nice "calling card". He was born on August 5, 1814 in Northfield, MA to farmer Theodore Holton and his wife Mary (Polly) Smith. He had ten siblings, six sisters eek and four brothers. Asa never married according to several family histories I studied. He died in Northfield on September 15, 1858. I did a pretty thorough search for additional information on him but came up with nothing. I don't know what he did for a living or even where he's buried. Most of his family were interred in the Old Cemetery in Northfield but there's no record of Asa there. In any case, I'll keep looking. Bruce