Post Your Coins, Medals And Tokens With A Cornucopia

I'll balance my initial US commemorative coin post with one highlighting a world coin - a 1915 Un Sol from Peru. The coin is 0.900 fine silver with a diameter of 37 mm and a weight of 25 grams.

The cornucopia is included on the Coat of Arms of Peru on the coin's obverse. As many of Peru's coins feature its National Coat of Arms, there's a good chance others will also post a coin from Peru. Peru offers base metal, silver and gold coins that include the Coat of Arms and, thus, a cornucopia.

The "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" inscription that encircles the coin's reverse side depiction of a seated Liberty translates into English as: "STEADY AND HAPPY FOR THE UNION." The motto was an attempt by the Government to bring together the various regional departments that existed within Peru in the years following Spain granting it its independence in 1821; Peru's use of the motto on its coins dates to its silver 8 reales of 1825.

The official Peru Government's description of the Coat of Arms is:

"The arms of the Peruvian Nation shall consist of a shield divided into three fields: one celestial blue to the right, with a vicuna looking inside; other white to the left, with a Cinchona officinalis placed within, and another, red, in the bottom and smaller, with a cornucopia pouring coins, signifying with these symbols the treasures of Peru in the three realms of nature. The coat of arms shall be surmounted by a civic crown in flat view; and accompanied on each side by a flag and a standard of national colors..."

So, a cornucopia full of coins vs. a farmer's bounty!

Very interesting to read ...
(Sorry..only in Spanish )
https://www.bcrp.gob.pe/docs/Public...a-154-09.pdf

Britannia with cornucopia on a one penny token issued for the Roscoe Place factories and merchants, which operated under the umbrella of a firm called Shaw, Jobson & Co.

Sheffield, Great Britain, Withers 1047 (Davis 143).

In 1923, the US Mint a commemorative half dollar to mark the centennial of the enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine. The coin has one of the most stylistic designs of the entire classic series; the design was prepared by noted artist/sculptor Chester Beach. Unfortunately, it appears that Beach based his design work on the logo of the Pan-American Exposition that was held in Buffalo, NY in 1901; the Exposition's logo was designed by Ralph Beck.

Button with Logo of 1901 Pan-American Exposition


There are distinct differences between the two, but they do share a design theme that presents stylized versions of North and South America - the primary land masses of the Western Hemisphere. In each design, the two continents are represented by two contorted female figures that mimic their general shape. Alone, the female figures do not create fully-formed continent shapes in either design. To address this, Beck dressed each figure in a flowing gown that could be stretched to fill out the needed shape. In contrast, Beach used a combination of tree branches and a cornucopia to fill out the shapes and more fully form his map.

On the coin, North America holds a multi-stemmed tree branch in her left hand that is meant to form the eastern portion of Canada; in her right hand, she holds a smaller branch as she reaches out to South America and, with her right arm, uses the branch to create an approximate rendering of Central America. The figure representing South America holds a full cornucopia in her right hand and arm; the cornucopia fills in the northern reaches of Brazil and the countries positioned along the continent's northeast coast - Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

The cornucopia on the Monroe Doctrine is fairly subtle, but clearly forms an integral part of the coin's overall "Western Hemisphere" design.

1923 Monroe Doctrine Centennial Half Dollar





To learn more about the Monroe Doctrine half dollar, check out:

- 1923 Monroe Doctrine Centennial
- 1923 Monroe Doctrine Centennial - Coin or Medal With Flora Thread


For other posts about commemorative coins and medals, see: Read More: Commems Collection

Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty) is a common motif on ancient coins.

1880 B Republica Peruana.
Una Peseta.

Very nice indeed!

The obverse design of the 1935-S and 1936-D commemorative half dollars issued to support the Panama-California International Exposition (AKA the "San Diego" half dollar) is loosely based on the Great Seal of the State of California.

The coin doesn't faithfully duplicate the State Seal, but it does incorporate multiple elements of it into its design - the goddess Minerva, a grizzly bear, a sailing ship in the bay, a gold miner and mountains in the background are all included on the coin.

Per the California Secretary of State: The Constitutional Convention of 1849 adopted a "Great Seal of the State of California." Two main features of the seal are the seated figure of the Goddess Minerva and the California Grizzly Bear crouching at her feet. Other design elements include a gold miner, ships upon a mountain-rimmed bay, and the motto "Eureka," which means "I have found it." No mention of the cornucopia is made; the Seal does include a bundle of grain and bunches of grapes, however - the grapes are certainly apopros for California considering its huge wine industry!

Here's a version of the Seal that Aitken likely had access to as he designed the coin:

Unofficial California State Seal, Circa 1928


Did Aitken misinterpret what he saw on contemporary images of the Seal and think he saw a cornucopia? Did he misread written descriptions? - OR - Did he simply want to add an element (a cornucopia, horn of plenty) that helped to describe the natural abundance present in California? Unknown. What is known, however, is that as Aitken adapted the Seal to his vision for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition half dollar, the arrangement of the core elements was changed and a cornucopia was clearly added. He positioned the horn of plenty to Minerva's left, between her and the shield emblazoned with "EUREKA."

1935-S California-Pacific International Exposition Half Dollar





You can learn more about the coin here:

- 1935-S California-Pacific International Exposition
- 1935-S California-Pacific International Exposition - Original Holder.

You can read other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals here: Read More: Commems Collection