In 1940, the National Association of Manufacturers ("NAM") held its 45th Congress of American Industry in New York City. The Association commissioned a medal for the event, it was produced by the Medallic Art Company of New York and was presented to attendees of the Congress. The Congress was attended by ~2,500 members; a large gathering for the time. The largest of America's manufacturers were represented by their top executives: General Motors, US Steel, Standard Oil, Du Pont, General Electric and Goodyear to name just a handful.
NAM was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1895. It is a trade association that supports and advocates for manufacturers, big and small, across the United States - it currently has ~14,000 members. The group is headquartered in Washington, DC and works to help ensure that State and Federal policies regarding manufacturers/manufacturing align with what is needed by its members to be successful and to support the 13+ million Americans employed by them.
The Congress of American Industry was an annual meeting of members of NAM that featured round-table discussions regarding manufacturing issues and addresses from important business and political leaders - plus social events.
In 1940, with World War II underway in Europe and America's involvement looming. the theme of the 45th Congress was "Total Preparedness for America's Future." Under this banner, the Congress featured many sessions related to America's defense, potential war time labor issues and defense manufacturing.
The bronze medal struck for the Congress is 76.7 millimeter in diameter (3") and weighs 170 grams (6.0 ounces). I haven't seen verified mintage figures for the medal, and it is a little difficult to estimate. On one hand, considering it was a gift to attendees of the 45th Congress it is plausible that 2,000 or more medals were struck. On the other hand, it is not a commonly encountered piece which generally argues against a mintage of 2,000 or more.
The leaflet that accompanied the medal (imaged below) describes the obverse and reverse designs of the medal; I won't repeat the information here. As noted, Rene Chambellan was the designer/sculptor of the piece.
1940 National Association of Manufacturers - 45th Congress Medal
1940 National Association of Manufacturers - 45th Congress Medal - Leaflet -Exterior Panels
1940 National Association of Manufacturers - 45th Congress Medal - Leaflet -Interior Panels
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/18/2023 4:49 pm
