ANA Medals - Grades posted today

[JRocco]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for posting those pics. What a beautiful set you have there.
Those reverses on the Bal Harbor's are totally aweesome. I see why you are so happy.
Thaks for sharing Chris.

[cpm9ball]

Now THAT is a lot of medals!  Nice deal!  Did they tell you why they wouldn't grade them before?  I thought NGC would grade all medals...

It was my understanding that NGC didn't have adequate reference materials to provide proper research for medals struck at private mints. Of course, there were exceptions like the So-Called Dollars, but I still have some 600 medals for state & town anniversaries, i.e. centennials, bicentennials, sesquicentennials, etc., that they still can't accept. There are so many privately struck medals that it would be nearly impossible to amass all of the reference materials necessary to do the job right.

Now, if I can only convince them to accept medals struck by the Monnaie de Paris that are larger than 37mm.

Chris 

[FilthyBroke]

Oh, I didn't think of that.  Thanks for the info.  I have a few French medals coming in, my first real medals.  Not sure why NGC would limit a medal size to 37mm as they have those huge holders available.

[cpm9ball]

It's not that they don't have the new oversized slabs, it's again a problem with adequate reference material. I've tried for years to find a comprehensive reference book for Paris Mint medals, but it just isn't available. The only thing out there from the Monnaie de Paris is their annual guide. If you were fortunate enough to be able to locate one for each year from, say, 1800-1900, it would cost you in excess of $2K.

The reason I said 37mm is because they do have the Mitchiner reference but it is only good for jetons, medalets and tokens which just happen to be limited in size to 37mm or less.

Chris

[FilthyBroke]

Ah, I gotcha.  My first thought was a slab size resriction.  I know how hard it can be to find reference info for jetons, even with the Mitchiner book.  I bet those guys at NGC can afford the extensive library for medal reference, but maybe they just don't have enough call for it.  I know that most reference books I come across are in French, that could be an obstacle, too. 

I'm starting to get interested in the French medals of the early 1900's, so I find this very interesting and helpful, thanks Chris.

*sorry for getting this thread a little off-topic.

[cpm9ball]

Ah, I gotcha.  My first thought was a slab size resriction.  I know how hard it can be to find reference info for jetons, even with the Mitchiner book.  I bet those guys at NGC can afford the extensive library for medal reference, but maybe they just don't have enough call for it.  I know that most reference books I come across are in French, that could be an obstacle, too. 

I'm starting to get interested in the French medals of the early 1900's, so I find this very interesting and helpful, thanks Chris.

*sorry for getting this thread a little off-topic.

Nothing is off-topic where I'm concerned as it applies to numismatics. Now, if you have a hot date for me, please use the PM.

Oh, I'm sure that NGC could afford it if you could find them, but what about earlier centuries?


The best that I could do for a reference was the Biographical Dictionary of Medallists by L. Forrer. It doesn't provide mintages, composition and such, but it is one heck of a resource for background info on each medallist including the titles of their works. It's an 8-volume set with 5,000+ pages spanning the period 500BC to 1900AD.

Chris

[FilthyBroke]

http://www.amazon.com/Biographical-dictionary-medallists-seal-engravers-500-/dp/1406982466/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298157489&sr=8-1

This the one?  Sounds very interesting, and you say it has the medallists/engravers from the 17-1800's included?  I have wanted to read up on those guys for a while now.  Thanks for the info.

[cpm9ball]

Where the information is available, it will give you when & where they were born and died, the schools for design they attended, what competitions they participated in and the awards they received as well as a listing by date of the medals they designed.

Chris

[cpm9ball]

That's a different book, and judging from the price, it probably only lists names. I also noted that the one you linked is paperback and my set is hardbound. The set I have was purchased from Hedley Betts in California and can be seen on his site here:

http://www.medalsoftheworld.com/

When I bought it, it was $500 with free shipping. Now, he sells it for $600 but I don't know if he still provides free shipping.

This is what the set looks like:

[FilthyBroke]

$600- Ouch!  That makes sense though, I wondered how I could get a comprehensive numismatic book for under $30, like the one on my link. 

Sounds like a nice Christmas gift suggestion.