Written by: Paul G. Lajoie

 

These medals came to my attention as the result of my unending search for material that depicts the Statue of Liberty. It turns out that in this newspaper's masthead (The Daily Mirror) the words defining its name are separated by a very small, even tiny, Statue of Liberty.

 

Two sizes appear to have been created: One for men and another for women. The men's medals, awarded in both sterling silver and bronze, measure 33.5 by 20 mm (1 5/16 by 13/16 inches), and the women's medals are reduced to 30 by 19 mm (1 3/16 by 3/4 inches).

 

An orange/white/blue drupe or ribbon supported by a pinback mechanism held the medals secure. 

 

So far, I have located only 10 or so medals. The earliest medal dates to 1945, and the most recent date is 1958.  The men's medals honor recipients of basketball, track, horsehoes, tug-of-war, and swimming. 

 

The women's medals located are predominantly basketball, track or tennis.  Most of the medals have a date on the reverse, either by itself, or within a small scroll.  All of these medals appear to have been manufactured by the medalists at Dieges & Clust, New York, as evidenced by their imprint. 

 

One of the larger, undated, medals honored Little League Baseball players and was named for the "Little Fellas League." Another medal, smaller and also undated, for women's basketball carries a sort of clip. In addition the the Dieges & Clust imprint it also has the word "ANSON." This company was/is a famous jewelery company, so this was likely meant as some sort of lapel pin. 

 

I welcome any questions or comments, and in particular, information on new finds.