This week in Coin Update and Mint News Blog, I start a retrospective series on American medals. Time was that medals in numismatics were more important than federal coins, such as in the early 19th century. Hardly anyone paid attention to current Liberty Seated silver coins, so important today in 2018, but a Libertas Americana medal or a medal awarded by Congress was of high importance. Of the last, collectors included Thomas Jefferson and Daniel Webster, to mention just two.
Medals in the marketplace had been quiet for a long time, but beginning in a large way with the efforts of George and Melvin Fuld, the formation of the Token and Medal Society (I was among the first members in 1961), the books written by Russell Rulau, and other activities, they grew in importance. All the while the U.S. Mint has stocked medals of various kinds—ranging from old subjects struck from modern dies to an illustrious series of modern medals illustrating events in 20th century history—World War II being an important subject.
Source: Coin Update News
