"Do you know if anyone ever found a US medal depicting fireworks? If not, I will send you the information and photo of a Brooklyn Bridge centennial medal with a fireworks display."

I don't believe we had a response. Here's what Scott sent along. Thanks! -Editor

I've added images and some additional information I found. The link is below under "To read the complete item descriptions." -Editor

Unknown Artist. Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Medal, 1983. Metal, cloth, cardboard, plexiglass, Case: 3 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. (9.5 x 7 cm) Diameter of medal: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 83.126.4. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

It's a relic medal - that circular thing in the obverse field is a fragment of original cable. The additional description is from the Google Arts & Culture page for the object. An April 24, 1983 New York Times article by Ed Reiter provides more numismatic background. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online. -Editor

The medals are being struck by the Classic Mint, a division of the Green Duck Corporation in Hernando, Miss., which holds an exclusive license from the Brooklyn Bridge commission to make these commemorative items. They are being produced not only in bronze but also in gold and silver---and the bronze version is available with or without the piece of cable. However, the company feels that demand will be strongest for the version that incorporates the cable.

According to Mr. Stewart, Green Duck is using a piece of cable approximately 30 feet long. This, he says, is a portion of a larger piece---roughly 60 to 70 feet in length---which workmen removed from the bridge several years ago after it snapped. Another large portion reportedly has been given to the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. Stewart describes the cable as a ''twist'' about 3 1/2 inches in diameter which is made up of seven smaller cables, each about an inch in diameter. Each of these, in turn, is made up of a dozen smaller steel wires, he reports. Rather than cutting cross-sectional pieces from the wires, Green Duck is rolling the wires flat, to a thickness of approximately one-sixteenth of an inch, then punching out segments one-eighth of an inch in diameter. Each segment is then placed by hand in a small depression just above the portrait of the bridge on the obverse of the medal---a 1/4-inch cavity drilled there after the medal was struck and its surface antiqued. Liquid epoxy is then applied to seal the cable segment in place.

By Mr. Stewart's estimate, there is more than enough cable to permit the production of at least 250,000 medals of this type. This particular version is priced at $10 and comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity signed by Richard G. Perry, chairman of the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Commission. The bronze version without the piece of cable is priced at $5.

The silver version, like the bronze, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter. It contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver, has a proof finish and is hallmarked. The gold version is a 1-inch medal, likewise proof and hallmarked, containing half an ounce of 24-karat gold. In silver and gold, the medals are priced at $40 and $600, respectively. However, these figures are subject to change, depending on fluctuations in the cost of precious metals. According to Mr. Stewart, the Classic Mint will strike no more than 1,000 gold examples. No production limit has been set for the silver version, but it is anticipated that no more than 25,000 will be made. There is no limit on either of the bronze versions.

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