NUMISMATIC REMEMBRANCES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 45, November 2, 2014, Article 22

NUMISMATIC REMEMBRANCES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE

Greg Ruby published a nice article on medals of Edgar Allan Poe in the October 27, 2014 issue of The Fourth Garrideb - Numismatics of Sherlock Holmes. Here's an excerpt. -Editor

I am aware of only three medals honoring the author.

The first medal was issued in 1948 to commemorate the centennial of Poe’s death and appears to be of a French origin.

Poe Hall of Fame Medal

Poe was inducted into the Hall of Fame For Great Americans in 1910. Located on what is now the campus of the Bronx Community College, his bust was unveiled on May 20, 1922. In another numismatic twist, his bust was designed by Daniel Chester French and was donated by J. Sanford Saltus. French is known for designing the 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial commemorative half dollar. Saltus was a generous benefactor for the American Numismatic Society and endowed the Saltus Medal Award in 1913 to reward sculptors “for distinguished achievement in the field of the art of the medal.”

In 1962, the Medallic Art Company started striking a series of medals to honor the inductees. Poe’s medal was designed by Michael Lantz and was struck in 1963. Medals were struck in two sizes. A large 3-inch (76mm) in bronze only, and a small 1¾-inch (44mm) size in bronze and silver. The silver medals were serially numbered.

Poe ANA Medal
When the American Numismatic Association returned to Baltimore in 2008, they chose to honor Edgar Allan Poe on their convention medal designed by Jamie Franki.

Franki’s design features a three-quarter view of Poe in high relief. The portrait on the obverse is inspired by an oil painting by Baltimore artist Oscar Halling and “informed by every image I could find,” said Franki. The word, “Nevermore,” immortalized in The Raven, circles the edge above Poe’s head and a small incused silhouette of a raven is perched on his signature, which was taken from an archival scan.

The reverse tells the tale of the annual “Poe Toast,” where for each of the past 59 years on Poe’s birthday, a black-clad figure visits the gravesite and raises a cognac toast. The toaster then leaves a half-bottle of cognac and three roses on the grave. The tradition of the Poe Toaster has apparently stopped after the bicentennial of Poe’s birth in 2009.

To read the complete article, see:
Numismatic Remembrances of Edgar Allan Poe (fourthgarrideb.com/2014/10/numismatic-remembrances-of-edgar-allan-poe/)

The E-Sylum got a nice shout-out in The Fourth Garrideb blog October 26th along with several others in the hobby who helped create the organization. -Editor

To read the complete article, see:
Thank You Very Much! (fourthgarrideb.com/2014/10/1016/)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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