At first glance, this large Benjamin Franklin medal could be mistaken for the
Saturday Evening Post 200th anniversary medal of 1928 - the obverses of each match. A closer look at the medal's reverse, however, reveals differences among the inscriptions that make it clear the piece shown here was produced in the mid-1940s at the earliest.
But first, let's explore the medal...
The bronze medal is the work of Julio Kilyeni (an underappreciated medallic artist IMO); it was struck by Whitehead & Hoag of Newark, New Jersey. It is a large medal at 3-7/8 inches in diameter, with a weight of 10.5 ounces.
The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Benjamin Franklin; Kilyeni signed the piece to the right (viewer's perspective) of Franklin's head/neck/shoulder. From Frankln's mature appearance, it is reasonable to assume that Kilyeni's reference portrait of the Founding Father dates to a time when Franklin was approximately age 65 or older; Franklin was born in 1706 and died in 1790.
The reverse depicts the Curtis Publishing Company building (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); the building completed construction in 1921. Beneath the building are seen the titles of several of the company's popular magazine publications: (t - b)
The Saturday Evening Post / Ladies Home Journal / Country Gentlemen / Jack and Jill and
Holiday.Back to the issue date of the medal...
Curtis Publishing put out its first issue of
Holiday, a travel-focused magazine, in 1946. As the medal lists the title, it is logical to think that the medal's issue date is 1946 (or later). Though I have yet to find contemporary releases/advertisements to verify, a distinct possibility is that the medal was struck to celebrate the launch of the new publication, the company's first post-WWII. (Maybe some other CCF=er has details?)
I've mentioned before my fondness for Franklin - I enjoy having this antiqued bronze medal among my numismatic tributes to the man.
Benjamin Franklin - Curtis Publishing Medal - Obverse
Benjamin Franklin - Curtis Publishing Medal - Reverse
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, check out:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/11/2021 10:34 am
