The Chicago Coin Club

The plaquette's obverse bears U.S.S. Nashville at sea within roped border. At upper right, U.S.S. / NASHVILLE; signed at lower right, J · H · RIPSTRA

The reverse bears several lines of inscription, · ARRIVAL · OF · / · U · S · NASHVILLE · / · IN · CHICAGO · HARBOR · JUNE · 4 · 1909 · / · FIRED · FIRST · SHOT · / · IN · SPANISH - AMERICAN · WAR · / CHICAGO NUMISMATIC SOCIETY - · MEDALLIC · SERIES · 1909

The U.S.S. Nashville became famous for firing the first shot in the Spanish-American war. She captured four Spanish vessels and assisted in the cutting of the undersea cable to Cienfuegos. She was decommissioned in 1906 and transfered to the Great Lakes with her new homeport at Chicago.

This plaquette was the first art medal issued by the Chicago Numismatic Society, the precursor to the Chicago Coin Club.

The rounded ractangular plaquette measures 76mm x 38mm and was struck in bronze and silver. The reported mintage is 500 pieces in bronze and 100 in silver. The original price for a bronze was 75 cents and for a silver $2.50.

This medal's obverse bears a male figure with wings affixed to his outstretched arms, four different methods of manned flight in background: a hot air balloon, a dirigible, and two early-model airplanes.

The reverse bears bird in flight. Across center, PROGRESS / IN / AVIATION / CHICAGO NUMISMATIC SOCIETY / MEDALLIC SERIES / MCMX

The second art medal issued by the Chicago Numismatic Society (the precursor to the Chicago Coin Club) was dedicated to Aviation. In the early 20th century Chicago was one of the hotbeds of aviation engineering. Thus it came as no big surprise that it was decided to pick Progress in Aviation as the theme for an art medal. Carl Schrieber won the competition for the design of this medal.

The circular medal measures 51mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by Whitehead & Hoag of Newark, New Jersey. The reported mintage in bronze is 200 pieces. The silver pieces were struck later, possibly by the U.S. Mint. No mintage is reported.

References: Malpas 186

This medal's obverse bears modernized head of Arethusa, wearing winged and eagle-headed helmet with motto I WILL, facing left. Around, C · C · C · 50TH · ANNIVERSARY - 1919 1969; signed under truncation, © T · A · ROVELSTAD · 1968

The reverse bears the six Winter Hexagon stars and Betelgeuse in the middle. Around edge, CHICAGO · COIN · CLUB / DOCENDO DISCIMUS; inside stars, conjoined CCC logo surrounded by ORGANIZED 1919 · / INCORPORATED 1938; signed with (TR monogram)

The 50th anniversary of the Chicago Coin Club was celebrated January 8, 1969 with a banquet at Harding's Restaurant. The 77 in attendance had only one regret - that the bad weather kept many away. Trygve Rovelstad had been asked to create the corresponding anniversary medal and picked the head of his proposed Arethusa statue for the design. The medal's reverse was designed to be usable for future Club medals. Apparently, a quantity of nickel-silver and silver uniface medals were struck to have a cache of engravable medals on hand.

This is a very handsome medal and definitely one of the nicest Coin Club issues of modern times. Too many coin clubs issue medals with relatively boring busts of club presidents whereas this design is truly worthy of being immortalized on a medal.

The circular medal measures 57mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The reported mintage is 182 pieces in bronze and 113 pieces in silver. The bronze medals originally cost $5 and the the silver medals $20 and were sold to members only.

References: MACo 1968-136

This medal's obverse bears allegorical figure representing the Spirit of Exploration at the top; in the center are two explorers surrounded by Native Americans, some of whom are carrying a canoe. Signed on base, J E FRASER

The reverse bears multi-line inscription: COMMEMORATING / THE / SEVENTY-FIFTH / ANNIVERSARY / OF THE / CHICAGO COIN CLUB / 1919 - 1994 / ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ / "THE DISCOVERERS" / A SCULPTURE BY / JAMES EARLE FRASER / MICHIGAN AVENUE BRIDGE / CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; in rectangle below, incuse serial number 00011.

The medal is a reduced replica of a famous Chicago sculpture by James Earle Fraser. The monumental sculpture is one of a set of four that decorate the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The chewing gum tycoon William Wrigley, Jr. paid for both "The Discoverers" and "The Pioneers", this design's sibling monument. The sculpture is dedicated to Father Jaques Marquette, Robert Cavalier de LaSalle, and Henri de Tonti, who explored the Great Lakes area in the late 17th century.

This medal was issued to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Chicago Coin Club, historically one of the most active collectors' organizations to issue medals.

The irregularly shaped plaquette measures 67mm x 89mm. It was struck in a mintage of 1 piece in gold, 36 in silver and 165 in bronze. The original subscription price was $2,165 for the piece in gold, $125 for a silver piece, and $20 for the more common bronze variant.

This medal's obverse bears allegorical figure at the top, pointing onward; below, a purposeful man walking with shouldered musket and a hatchet in one hand; next to him, a woman on horseback, holding a baby; completing the group are two more pioneers, a Native American, and an oxen. Signed on base, J E FRASER

The reverse bears multi-line inscription: COMMEMORATING / THE / EIGHIETH / ANNIVERSARY / OF THE / CHICAGO COIN CLUB / 1919 - 1999 / ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ / "THE PIONEERS" / A SCULPTURE BY / JAMES EARLE FRASER / MICHIGAN AVENUE BRIDGE / CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; in rectangle below, incuse serial number 00011.

The medal is a reduced replica of a famous Chicago sculpture by James Earle Fraser. The monumental sculpture is one of a set of four that decorate the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The chewing gum tycoon William Wrigley, Jr. paid for both "The Pioneers" and "The Discoverers", this design's sibling monument. The sculpture was completed in 1928, eight years after the bridge.

This medal was issued to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chicago Coin Club, historically one of the most active collectors' organizations to issue medals.

The irregularly shaped plaquette measures 67mm x 89mm. It was struck in a mintage of 2 pieces in gold, 32 in silver and 105 in bronze. The original subscription price was $2,500 for the piece in gold, $150 for a silver piece, and $35 for the more common bronze variant ($30 if preordered). In addition to the finished medals, 11 process sets that consisted of nine bronze pieces, starting with the blank, unstruck planchet and ending with the finshed medal were sold for $250 each.