Posted 07/05/2022 6:32 pm
To clarify the teminology: a "token" is a coin-like object intended as some kind of monetary substitute. A "medal" is a coin-like object not intended as a monetary substitute, but rather as an award or commemorative souvenir.
So yes, this is a "medal". It would likely have actually been made in 1883, and would be made of "white metal", a pewter-like tin-lead alloy that was popular for cheap medal-making before the invention of the Hall-Heroult Process to mass-produce cheap aluminium.
As for value, this one just sold on ebay for $10.50, so I'd assume not all that valuable. In pristine condition, these white-metal medals can be worth hundreds, but as this example demonstrates, white-metal is not a stable alloy long-term and tends to degrade into a corroded-looking grey mess, so getting that "pristine condition" to survive for over 100 years is truly exceptional.
I see George Washington medals given a "GW" catalogue number, but I'm not sure which reference book that comes from.
So yes, this is a "medal". It would likely have actually been made in 1883, and would be made of "white metal", a pewter-like tin-lead alloy that was popular for cheap medal-making before the invention of the Hall-Heroult Process to mass-produce cheap aluminium.
As for value, this one just sold on ebay for $10.50, so I'd assume not all that valuable. In pristine condition, these white-metal medals can be worth hundreds, but as this example demonstrates, white-metal is not a stable alloy long-term and tends to degrade into a corroded-looking grey mess, so getting that "pristine condition" to survive for over 100 years is truly exceptional.
I see George Washington medals given a "GW" catalogue number, but I'm not sure which reference book that comes from.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
