On February 28, 1927, the B&O Railroad held a formal
dinner at the Lyric Theatre in downtown Baltimore. The occasion was the
celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. Such a significant event called for an ostentatious celebration held
in grandest style possible. Over 1,000
guests were treated to a formal dinner and an on-stage presentation depicting three
significant events of the early history of the B&O. It was during the
dinner that plans were announced for an even larger celebratory pageant that
would highlight not only “…the story of rail transport in the United States,
but of all inland transport here since the first settlement of the nation.”
Named The Centenary Pageant of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, it would be
more widely known and remembered as the “Fair of the Iron Horse,” and bring
over 1.2 million visitors to Halethorpe, Maryland. As a memento of the evening’s festivities,
each diner was presented with a unique, specially designed and newly minted
medal, which museum staff refers to as the Centenary Medal.
Those who own or have seen the medal will instantly
recognize it and its imagery. The medal’s obverse depicted one of the B&O’s
then “modern” steam locomotives being touched by “the spirit of transportation.”
The steam engine is ringed with the text "ONE HUNDRED YEARS SAFETY
STRENGTH SPEED." The reverse shows the B&O’s first steam engine, Peter
Cooper's Tom Thumb, and text "THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD COMPANY
1827-1927."
The B&O commissioned sculpture Hans Schuler (1874-1951),
to create the medal and the proof was delivered to the Medallic Art Company,
located in New York, in 1926. Schuler was a German-born sculptor, and graduate
of the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art
(MICA). He taught at MICA and served on the board and as the institute’s
Director from 1925-1951. This well-known and award winning artist opened a
studio in Baltimore and created many important works that can still be seen
throughout the Baltimore-Washington region today. His legacy continues and his
studio became the home to the Schuler School of Fine Arts founded by his son in
1959 (http://www.schulerschool.com).
Medallic was a New York based company with roots in the
early 1900s. It has produced many notable medals including the Pulitzer Prize
Medal, the George Foster Peabody Award Medal, and the Randolph Caldecott
Medal. It is currently still in business
with offices in Nevada and more information is available at www.medallic.com. Medallic took Schuler’s
work and made two sets of dies: 1 ¼ -inch (31mm) and 2 ¾ -inch (70mm). Of
the two versions, the 2 ¾ inch medal is by far more common since 7,500 copies
were produced for the railroad. Very few copies of the 1 ¼ inch medallion are
known to exist and any found should be considered extremely rare.
The larger 2 ¾ inch medal was struck in bronze and delivered
to William Hay, Baggage Agent at the B&O’s New York City Baggage Department
on 23rd Street and then shipped to Baltimore via the B&O in
several lots. The initial lot of 1,000 was produced for the February 28, dinner
and came in special blue enclosure cases. Fifty medals were presented in custom
Moroccan leather cases. The B&O also purchased enclosure cards that could
be customized prior to distribution with an individual or institution’s name
(although not all medals were given with the descriptive insert or enclosure
card).
Besides the 1,000 distributed to guests at the dinner, 3,400
were designated to be given to B&O employees with 40 years or more of
service and B&O pensioners. The total distribution plan was as follows:
13 President of the United States and his
Cabinet officials
12 Members of the ICC
13 Governors for the 13 states the
B&O passed through
69 Public Service Commissions of the 13
states the B&O passed through
203 Mayors of cities on and off the B&O’s line over 100,000
(several additional sites were
added)
413 Presidents of Colleges and Universities along
the line having an attendance of 350 or more students
248 Leading museums and libraries on and
off the B&O’s line including a few outside the system (notables named
include: Boston, Cambridge, Hartford, New Haven, and Princeton).
140 Historical Associations and Societies
62 Traffic and Railway clubs
239 Specials (not clear, but mentions from
the dinner list)
57 Unacknowledged from the dinner list
73 Small Connecting, switching and belt
lines
1,800 B&O Officers and employees serving 40
years or more
1,600 Pensioners
215 Entertainers who participated in the
February Lyric dinner
1,000 Dinner guests
6,366 Total
Those not accounted for in the list were given to B&O
executives and offered for sale to other B&O employees. Several remaining
medals were given to loyal employees not fitting in the above mentioned 40
years of service that had requested a medal. Files contain letters of request and
it appears that the medals were still distributed based on years in service.
The B&O spent $13,361.43 to produce the medal. Cost per
medal was $1.10 for the first 5,500, the remainder cost $1.52 each due to ordering
in smaller lots, cases cost $.35-$.375 each depending upon quantity ordered and
enclosure cards cost $29.75. The special Moroccan leather cases cost $4.50 ea.
"This medal is issued on the
one hundredth birthday of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company to
commemorate not merely an important milestone in its own history but the
rounding out of a century of a definite American railroad achievement.
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
was the first American railroad to operate its lines for the public handling of
passengers and freight. This was early in 1830. In all the one
hundred years of its life it has changed nether its corporate name, its charter
nor its fundamental organization.
The obverse of the medal depicts
one of the most modern trains of the Baltimore & Ohio - The Capitol Limited
or the National Limited - drawn by one of the largest and most modern passenger
locomotives ever built. The spirit of Transportation guides the locomotive in
its onward flight.
The reverse shows the Tom Thumb,
designed by Alderman Peter Cooper of New York and the first steam locomotive to
be built in the United States, even though it was never put into practical
service.
Mr. Hans Schuler, director of the
Maryland Institute in Baltimore, is the sculptor who designed the medal and it
was reproduced direct from his models by the Medallic Art Company of New York
City."
A sample of the medal was presented to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art; however, it was not accepted in to the collection and actually returned. B&O President, Dan Willard, was not
pleased with this decision and efforts by Medallic to smooth over the incident
were only partially successful. Centenary
Director, Edward Hungerford expressed Willard’s feelings best, saying “…it was
a shame that really artistic efforts on the part of large business institutions
should meet such a wet blanket from the chief art gallery of America,” and he
doubted that Willard would consent to send the medal there after such
treatment.
The 1 ¼” medallion was struck in bronze and gold, and was
only produced as a sample. Artist Hans Schuler received one of these proofs to
judge the quality of the sample and commented that the quality of the smaller
medallion was exemplary. Records show that at one of these small medallions was
struck in 14K gold and presented to President Daniel Willard. This one-of-a-kind medallion had his name
engraved on the side and modified to be worn on the end of his watch as a fob. Hungerford
reported to Medallic that when Willard received his medallion in June of 1927,
“His eyes sparkled when he first saw it and I know that it is one of his
cherished treasures.”
At least three other samples of the smaller medallion were
struck in bronze in June of 1927. The samples were created during discussions
between Hungerford and Medallic to potentially fabricate 15,000 for
distribution to all B&O employees. The idea was dropped due to cost
concerns and the belief it would detract from the impact of the larger medal. Records confirm the creation of the samples;
however, none exist in the museum’s collection and museum staff has not seen
any examples.
The museum’s staff receives inquiries several times a year
concerning the rarity and value of the medallion. The large bronze medal comes
on the numismatic market every so often and one example of a typical auction was
Presidential Coin & Antique auction sale #70 December 1, 2001 (lot 1325
where it brought $41.40).
While the larger version is not extremely rare, and one can
find an example if they are really searching for it, it is truly a work of art.
The medal was illustrated in an article when it was first issued in The Numismatist April 1927 (vol. 40 no.
4). The description is just as valid today as it was when the medal first
appeared: “The designs are excellent and the execution is splendid, making an
attractive medal.” It truly is a representative piece expressing the pride and
values of the B&O Railroad, as it celebrated its milestone anniversary and
rich heritage as one of the nation’s most significant railroads.
Dave Shackelford, Chief Curator
1 comment:
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