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 Replies: 13 / Views: 4,381 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
505 Posts |
I used to be able to find really nice Medals on ebay,most before 1900,with really nice artwork and at a decent prices(with images like the one below)...Nowadays,It seems like Theyve gotten scarce or maybe I'm just jaded and to picky...anyone else notice the decline or is it just me?  |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2490 Posts |
Medals sold below expectations for many years, but I agree with you, prices now are creeping up. That applies equally to the good, bad and ugly.
French & Belgian medals are now becoming overpriced and I've shifted my attention to other countries.
PM me and I'll send you a list of my preferred sellers (i.e. those that don't set unrealistic start prices)
Bob
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
505 Posts |
Thanks for the offer Bob,Ill take you up on it!
I think the French Medals are my favorites especially the Art Nouveau Types...They seemed to have a knack for medal making that others,for some reason,dont have!...
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Valued Member
United States
88 Posts |
It was more than a knack. There was a whole little medallic art "scene" that was happening. Anytime you have a situation like that some great things can happen. Suppliers start stocking the best grade of die steel... and the local machinists know what to do to support the medallists. And then there are the shows and expositions and the intense competition between artists.
The Art Nouveau period in French-Belgian medallism was really quite astonishing. I have been fortunate to acquire some original master hubs of the period, done by the sculptor Felix Rasumny. They are gorgeous works. I am still in the process of hobbing some dies from them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1143 Posts |
Tmaring are you intending on making some restrikes and if so in what metal?
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Valued Member
United States
88 Posts |
So far I have used two of them only for making buttons, pairing with one of my button backmark dies. Copper, brass, silver, that sort of thing. I don't have a real plan, I just knew awesome work when I saw it and snagged them, even though they were quite expensive. I think most collectors don't quite realize that hubs can be used to make EXACT COPIES of dies. Even if they see hubs for sale, they don't grasp the significance of the fact that it's hardened steel rather than soft metal.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
505 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1143 Posts |
Yes would you post some pics when you have a chance. If you do make some restrikes can I suggest you put some identifier on them such as a raised dot? I'm sure they might weigh out differently but as with so many in the past it helps to have some way to distinguish between originals and restrikes.
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Valued Member
United States
88 Posts |
Oh yes, that's not a problem since these are all one-sided things and I will have my own reverse. In addition with several of these I plan to use the hub for the central vignette of a larger fantasy piece, with the addition of text etc. And some will probably be used for making buttons. Almost all my photos are too high res to post, so I'll have to resample and compress. But here's an example of a dragon button made from a Ron Landis hub (of Gallery Mint Museum fame). Note dedicated back-die and soldered loop shank.  I had always thought of buttons as a poor-stepchild of coins, but became especially interested in them when I realized that it was the buttonmakers of Birmingham, exemplified by Matthew Boulton, who took coining from hand-hammered broadstruck cobs to stackable collared rims with high-grade engraved art. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
505 Posts |
Very Nice!Dragons are always a nice design
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1436 Posts |
I have collected various exonumia for the past three years, but haven't ventured into the medals realm yet. However, I agree w/ the fact it seems like the prices on E-Bay have gradually creeped up in that time. Trying to complete a type set and have also dabbled w/ Civil War tokens has become harder due to the price increases... and the quality also seems to be lower as well.
Dave[/size=1]
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Pillar of the Community
United States
505 Posts |
Quote:
quality also seems to be lower as well. I agree with the above quote..very hard to find anything really Nice,Most of the stuff on ebay is newer low quality material! |
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Valued Member
United States
88 Posts |
Here is a new strike from a new die created from a singed vintage master-hub by Felix Rasumny. We think the steel master hub was created sometime pre-WWI... circa 1910. We're doing these as pendants, but we'd be happy to do medallic strikes in whatever material for you. The modeling is amazing... and the fantasy body-work on the early horseless-carriage Benz Velocipede (automobile) with the dragons is incredible. We have not been able to find out whether this body style was ever actually created or whether (as I suspect) it was entirely a fantasy. We have also been unable to find any period examples of this piece that were struck as medals. It's possible the hub was done on speculation for a job that was never actually completed. https://www.etsy.com/listing/194833292 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
505 Posts |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 4,381 |
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Posted 06/06/2012 1:47 pm
