This medal was chosen as the first issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series. The obverse bears a hunter with rifle at ready, dog at point. To right, STEADY; to left, LGF 1930; at lower left ©. The reverse bears a ruffed grouse in display plumage on fallen log.
For this medal, Laura Gardin Fraser went back to some of her early medallic subjects that she was well known for: small animals. Rather than just creating an animal-themed medal, she put them in the human context of the hunt. It was a smart and popular choice, exactly what the new Society of Medalists needed. She wrote in the brochure that accompanied the medal:
"There are many persons who desire to collect medals but are unable to do so because the medal is used in most instances as a specific award. The scope of subject matter which bears no relation to a particular person or occasion embraces many forms of expression and the sculptor has a large field of choice. In this case, I felt that a sporting subject would be a departure from what one has been accustomed to seeing in medallic art. Therefore, I chose the hunter with his dog because it presented the opportunity of telling a story embodying a human and animal element.
The Medallic Art Company of New York struck a reported 3,235 pieces in bronze. A reported 125 silver medals were struck from the same dies in the 1970s."
References: Marqusee 174
All that being said, this medal in bronze typically trades on eBay between $90 and $130. Silver variants come up very rarely and can fetch several hundred dollars, typically in the $300 to $600 range.
