50th Anniversary Medallion, F.I.D.E.M. XXI Congress, International Federation of Medallic Art = Federation internationale de la Medaille : Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 11-15, 1987 : hosted by the American Numismatic Association. 315 grams, Copper, 2-15/16 inch x 2 inch, Oval. 16mm thickness. MACO # 1987-141 (Obverse); MACO # 1987-142 (Reverse). Artist: Mico Kauffman.
" Even a clock that's stopped is right twice a day. "
An Update: In April, 2025, the co-author of a scholarly examination of the Bicentennial era reached out to me as a result of a post in this thread: https://www.coincommunity.com/forum...y_ID=4267210 This month, Yale University Press published the book: The "Twin Bicentennial" medal is part of a chapter presenting a history of the city of San Francisco's civic and cultural efforts to marry the nation's Bicentennial with its own: In August, 2026, when I became aware of the publication date, I dropped a note to the author:
Quote: If one compares and contrasts the 1976 efforts and ethos with this year's Semiquincentennial commemorations, it appears the nation's hyper-partisan divide has left us weary, unable, and unwilling to mark our 250th year with the same robustness as our 200th. It's almost as if "patriotism" has morphed into a divisive term.
Her response:
Quote: Dear Bill, Thank you for thinking of us and sending a note. We are so appreciative of you sharing your image with us. It is indeed striking to compare the events of this year to 1976, certainly the commemorations (and relative lack thereof!) have been far more partisan and, as you have noted, unfortunately it seems many previously non-partisan symbols used to bridge and unite folks in 1976 have taken on new associations and don't seem to have the same resonance today.
I'm looking forward to reading this in the weeks to come.
The scholar who contacted me also visited Commems' US Mint A R B A threads. She is a PhD Candidate, Department of Art History and Criticism, Stony Brook University, and is Assistant Curator of Twentieth Century Art, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE.
A podcast interview with the authors can be found on You Tube:
v2BWD6GRtSU
Mods: Didn't intend to embed the video, only to provide the link to same. . .
The absence of a USM Bronze Medal commemorating the Semiquincentennial underscores the signicant difference in the efforts made to mark our 200th anniversary and now. Very disappointed nothing was done to mark the moment in an affordable way.
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Posted 09/03/2026 4:53 pm
