A large variety of medals and token were struck back in 1959 to celebrate the admittance of Alaska and Hawaii to the Union as the 49th and 50th States, respectively.
Presented here is the bronze version of the Official Alaska Statehood medal along with the pamphlet that accompanied the medal at the time of its original sale; the pamphlet provides a brief overview of Alaska's history. (I also have one of the silver versions of the piece.)
The medal is 63 mm in diameter and was available in bronze, sterling silver (0.925 fine) and gold (0.900 fine). The medals were struck by Medallic Art Company of New York City. Noted artist Ralph J. Menconi was the designer/sculptor of the medal.
- The bronze medal weighs 127.2 grams. Mintage of the piece was unlimited; the medal had an issue price of $4.00.
- The sterling silver medal weighs 137.6 grams (127.28 grams actual silver weight (ASW) or 4.09 ASW troy ounces) and had a mintage of 1,000.
- The gold medal weighs 466.5 grams (419.85 grams actual gold weight (AGW) or 13.5 AGW troy ounces). A total of 100 gold medals were authorized, but some currently believe that fewer than 60 were actually struck.
The silver and gold medals are serially-numbered on their edge.
Retail issue prices for the silver and gold versions were $30 and $850, respectively. The number of silver and gold medals that have survived the various run-ups in the spot price of silver and gold is anybody's guess.
The medals share the same obverse and reverse designs. The obverse presents the Seal of Alaska (see the pamphlet for details), while the reverse features an outline map of Alaska superimposed over an outline map of the continental United States. The official date of Statehood - "January 3, 1959" is presented below the maps.
The Coin and Currency Institute, Inc., located in New York City at the time, was the official promoter/distributor of the medals; though other dealers carried them as well.
Last year (September 2021), StacksBowers auctioned a "Partial Process Set" of the Alaska Statehood medal - the set was missing a blank planchet. The set included : "first strike in bright copper; fully struck-up copper example; darkly toned specimen; and (2) examples in the finished format." The set sold for $1,920 - a strong price for a MACO process set, but proof that some "modern" medals are popular and have a strong collector following.
1959 Official Alaska Statehood Medal
1959 Official Alaska Statehood Medal - Pamphlet
If you would like to learn more about Process Sets, check out:
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Missouri Sesquicentennial Process SetFor other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, check out:
Commems Collection
Posted 02/16/2022 3:37 pm
