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Miscellaneous Tokens and Medals
painting,
Freedom From Fear,
showing a mother tucking her
two children in bed while the father stands at her side holding
a newspaper with a headline proclaiming the news of bombing
raids in Europe. At bottom left is Rockwell’s name in large
letters and at bottom right, THE CURTIS/ PUBLISHING CO.
(Publishers of The Saturday Evening Post.) Inscribed in the
exergue is: FREEDOM FROM FEAR/ PRESENTED BY
CURTIS CIRCULATION COMPANY.
Each of the Four Freedoms plaques were used by Curtiss
Publishing to reward high schools for their participation in
magazine subscription programs conducted by the company. The
area below the plaque held, at one time, a small plaque engraved,
FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT with the name of the
school below and the year and the amount of subscription sales
at bottom. This plaque is no longer present on the plaque offered
here.
Rockwell’s
Freedom From Fear
first appeared in the March 13,
1943 issue of the Post. It was the fourth and last installment
of Rockwell’s famous Four Freedoms series which was based
on a State of the Union speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt
outlining the four freedoms to which he felt every person was
entitled. First mentioned was Freedom of Speech. Second was
Freedom to Worship. Third was Freedom from Want. Fourth
was Freedom from Fear. They became four of the best known
posters of World War Two. The four freedoms became a motto
for the war and for the 1943 bond drive.
We date this piece ca. 1946 as that was the year that the Curtis
Publishing Company made their Circulation Department into a
separate subsidiary. From our 77
th
Sale in 2007, #576 where it
brought $184.00. (G)
452.
CITY OF NEW YORK GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
MEDAL, 1948.
Marqusee 236 var. 69.2mm. Bronze. Michael
Lantz, Sc. (MACO) About Uncirculated. The obverse legend:
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY OF/ THE CITY OF NEW YORK
surrounds an art deco style allegory depicting a kneeling female
Lot 451 (reduced)
figure with five smaller figures (representing the five boroughs)
standing on her extended leg. Below is the date, 1948. The
reverse, also in the art deco style, portrays a flying male figure
at top flanked by skyscrapers to either side. At bottom right, is
a reclining male figure holding a book and at bottom left, a
smoking factory building. At center, surrounded by the names
of the five boroughs is engraved: PRESENTED TO/ EMILY
NORD/ MAYOR’S COMMITTEE.
This medal was first struck in 1948 as an anniversary medal. Its
art deco style captures the spirit of the City and its extraordinary
high relief gives it a spectacular visual presentation. The obverse
of the medal was then altered and the legend was replaced so
that it read: THE CITY OF NEW YORK, and at bottom, 5 stars
instead of the date 1948. In this form it became the highest
award medal given by the City of New York.
We last sold an example of this 1948 anniversary medal named
to EMILY NORD in our 2003 Litman Sale (#762) for $414.00.
453.
HOLLAND-AMERICA LINE 75
th
ANNIVERSARY
SOUVENIR PAPERWEIGHT, 1948.
Composed on an 181.7
x 125mm full color enamel bronze plaque mounted on a glass
base for use as a paperweight. Near mint condition with a small
chip on the bottom at lower right. The plaque bears a view of
their flagship, NIEUW AMSTERDAM at sea with the exergual
Lot 452