Ohio became the 17th state to join the Union; it became part of the United States in February 1803. Some contend that Congress did not formally/explicitly accept the Ohio Constitution and declare Ohio a State, so it remained an "unofficial" member of the Union until 1953 when a new Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Dwight David Eisenhower that declared Ohio statehood retroactively to 1803. These folks must be looking at a different set of Congressional records than I am! (Or it was a finely crafted sesquicentennial publicity stunt!)
On February 19, 1803, Congress passed an Act that officially recognized the new State of Ohio; it was the follow-up to the Enabling Act of 1802, approved by President Thomas Jefferson on April 30, 1802. The Enabling Act put forth the framework that the area's residents needed to follow to attain statehood - this included holding a constitutional convention of elected delegates and establishing a state constitution that was in line with the US Constitution.
On November 29, 1802, the Ohio Convention approved its constitution and a copy was carried to Washington, DC by Thomas Worthington and presented to the US Congress on December 22, 1802. Congress accepted the Constitution and the Act of February 19, 1803 made Ohio's statehood official.
Here's the introduction to the February 1803 Act:
An act to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States within the State of Ohio.
Whereas the people of the eastern division of the territory northwest of the river Ohio did, on the twenty-ninth day of November, one thousand eight hundred and two, form for themselves a constitution and State government, and did give to the said State the name of the "State of Ohio," in pursuance of an act of Congress entitled "An act to enable the people of the eastern division of the territory northwest of the Ohio to form a constitution and State government, and for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, and for other purposes," whereby the said State has become one of the United States of America; in order, therefore, to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States within the said State of Ohio-I think that makes it all quite clear!
And now, to the medal...
The golden bronze medal has a diameter of 2-3/4 inches; it was deisgned/modeled by Erwin F. Frey of Ohio. Frey (1893-1967) was a professional artist who was a member of the Columbus (OH) Art League. His primary artistic form was sculpture; his work was at a level that allowed him to exhibit his work not only in the US, but also internationally. He was also a respected instructor of sculpture at the Ohio State University (within the School of Fine and Applied Arts).
The Ohio Sesquicentennial medal was struck by the Medallic Art Company in New York.
The information leaflet that came with the medal includes a decent description of its design, so I won't repeat the information here. One note, the reverse of the medal features a date of March 1 vs. the February 19 date discussed above. The March date reflects the date of the first meeting of the State of Ohio General Assembly in 1803 (vs. the true date of Statehood, February 19, 1803).
The commemorative medal had an issue price of $2.50 (tax included), with a mintage of 10,000. The medal was sold throughout Ohio at banks and savings and loan companies, as well as at select retail locations and the Ohio State Museum in Columbus. Based on the general market availability of the medal, it appears as if good number of them were sold.
1953 Ohio Sesquicentennial Official Medal
1953 Ohio Sesquicentennial Official Medal - Leaflet
Posted 11/03/2021 5:56 pm
