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 Replies: 13 / Views: 4,755 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
834 Posts |
Anybody here actively collect National Commemorative Society Medals...? They were produced by the Franlin Mint back in the 60s and 70s. It's a gorgeous and long-running series with 150 issues (plus a few extras they re-issued when they discovered errors).
I have a bunch of these and wonder if I'm the only one on here who likes them...?
I'm sure that most of these went to the smelter back in the 80s...
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2133 Posts |
Is there a list of them with issue dates and issue costs anywhere?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
834 Posts |
I haven't seen a list etc online but I know there's a hardcopy catalogue with that info - I saw a screenshot in another forum... I have the complete set with a bunch of paperwork but I never put the medals in order. I might go through the newsletters and put together a spreadsheet just for fun. It's 150 pieces so I usually just pick a few here and there to admire. Then they got back in the box. The set came with an optional display case but I don't have that so it's a bit harder to enjoy... :( I got thinking about this set a couple weeks ago after reading a post on another forum. The poster discussed "a silver medal designed by ... Felix Schlag ... featuring Chief John Big Tree, one of the models that James Earle Fraser used in designing the Buffalo nickel... thought to be Schlag's final work before he passed away..." Of course, he was talking about one of the medals in this set and I was excited to have one in hand :) https://forums.collectors.com/discu...-to-nerd-out |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
They are nice medals. Like most Franklin Mint silver, they continue to go to melt once they reach a dealer as there is little to no market. Maybe that will help them become collectable in the long run...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
834 Posts |
I was hoping to spark some conversation about this set but looks like not much interest.
FWIW, this was the set that "started it all" as they say. From what I read, the people who formed the National Commemorative Society initially hired a mint to make their medals, but after 5 issues they instead formed the Franklin Mint to produce the medals in-house. Reding through the newsletters, I learned that their are several error medals in the set. For example, the Albert Einstein medal has the wrong year of birth, so the Society offered a correct version to members (at additional cost). Another medal has the wrong layout of stars on the US flag but the artist insisted it was fine and that he used artistic license in his design.
But like @checquer said, most of these medals end up in the pot. I just listed mine for sale here on the forum and I hope that someone who actually collects medals will buy them. I'd hate to see them smelted.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
834 Posts |
Quick update: as I feared, there's just not much interest in these old medals. I offered mine for sale here on the forum awhile ago but found no interest. I even offered the complete set below melt but no bites. Very strange I thought! Silver below melt but no offers. What is this world coming to? Oh, well. So the medals are off to the refinery in a couple weeks pending a last minute reprieve from the governor's office ;)
Unfortunately I just don't have time to photograph the medals and post a bit about each of them (like I did with a Longines medal series last year). But I still have the newsletters and a book about the society and the medals. I'm hoping to find an exonumia collector who wants those...
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Valued Member
United States
434 Posts |
I know that #29 Pearl Harbor and #108 Chester W. Nimitz are key medals for Hawaii collectors. #29 is listed in Hawaiian Money Standard Catalog, 2nd edition, 1991, by Medcalf & Russel. #108 was left out as an oversight.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
834 Posts |
@DrDarryl -
Sounds like you have a good working knowledge of medals!
If you know anyone who needs those particular medals please let me know. I'd hate to send them to the smelter...
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Valued Member
United States
71 Posts |
How much is the set going for? Out of morbid curiosity, since I know I can't buy them at this point.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
834 Posts |
@MarkCoin I listed the set for sale on this forum at 5% under spot with free shipping... I thought it would fly out the door :( But I got zero offers and now the medals sit on my desk waiting for the next coin show where I'll introduce them to a smelter. Funny thing is, I estimated the ASW (actual silver weight) at 116.35 troy ounces, but I got a scale for Christmas, measured everything and it's a bit heavier than that: ASW 120.32. So if anyone had bought the set they would've had a nice surpise :) For reference: http://goccf.com/t/362832 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
834 Posts |
Thanks for the link @TNG.
I held on to the medals as long as I could hoping to find someone who would keep them, but when silver hit US$29 a couple months ago they went to the smelter. I had originally listed them for sale when silver was US$17 and hoped to get about US$1800 for them at the time. The smelter paid over US$3,000 so I made out on the deal.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
You did great on melt and great for me too because mine are now just a little bit more scarce. LOL
There are some in the set I could not have melted but yes, many were worth getting the cash for.
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Moderator
 United States
187950 Posts |
Quote:
but when silver hit US$29 a couple months ago they went to the smelter.  Quote:
You did great on melt and great for me too because mine are now just a little bit more scarce. LOL  |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 4,755 |
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Posted 12/13/2019 12:23 am
