Many collectors of the modern US commemorative series are familiar with the Coin and Medal Sets released by the Mint in 2018 to honor each US military service that engaged in World War I.
Each Set features the World War I Centennial Silver Dollar (in Proof) along with a silver medal (in Proof) honoring either the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Service or Coast Guard. Surcharges from the sale of each silver dollar ($10 per coin) went to the United States Foundation for the Commemoration of the World Wars to support the World War I Centennial Commission and its commemoration of the 100th anniversary of World War I; the medals did not carry a surcharge.
The Pritzker Military Museum and Library was a "Commemorative Partner" of the World War I Centennial Commission and was a Founding Sponsor of the Commission. To support the Commission's objectives, the Museum commissioned silver (1,000) and gold (100) commemorative medals. The medals share common obverse and reverse designs based on paintings by James Dietz, a well-known artist who specializes in military-themed art. The medal designs ARE NOT exact duplicates of Dietz's paintings.
James Dietz - "Seal of the Citizen Soldier" Painting
(Image Credit: Pritzker Military Museum and Library Collection. Painting by James Dietz. Fair use.)James Dietz - "Seal of the American Sailor" Painting
(Image Credit: Pritzker Military Museum and Library Collection. Painting by James Dietz. Fair use.)The obverse of the medal includes an Army nurse, a WWI "doughboy" (the nickname of those who were part of the American Expeditionary Force), a WWI Infantry soldier and a pilot. Encircling the central figures are 17 five-pointed stars; they are meant to represent the year the US entered WWI - 1917.
The medal's reverse design is meant to be reflective of the huge role the US Navy and associated troop ships had in bringing 2+ million troops to battle.
The medals are 1.5 inches in diameter.
World War I Pritzer Museum & Library Commemorative Medal
Note: My scanned images of the medal do not do it justice. The medal is a fully brilliant, nicely-executed and detailed piece.When launched in 2018, the silver medal was priced at $60 each, and the gold medal had an issue price of $1,895. It appears that Pritzker still has some of each type available, though the price of the gold medal has increased to $2,075 (as of September 2022).
Net proceeds from sale of the medal were earmarked for the WWI Centennial Commission, specifically for its Washington, DC Memorial. (The Memorial has been opened (April 16, 2021) but awaits the installation of its 58-foot-long bas-relief sculpture - "A Soldier's Journey" - by Sabin Howard. If all goes well, the sculpted mural will be installed in 2024.)
Though not struck by the US Mint, Pritzker's direct affiliation with the World War I Centennial Commission, and the Commission-supporting use of the net proceeds of the medal sales, makes these medals a bit more "official" vs. the Mint medals as the Mint pieces were stuck under its own authority and were not for the benefit of the Commission. I am glad I purchased a silver example for my collection.
Posted 09/03/2022 1:33 pm
