JBFloyd Posted January 22, 2020 Share #1 Posted January 22, 2020 You might think that after 100 years, the medal collecting community would have noted and recorded the various World War I service medals issued by various towns. However, there are always a few that get overlooked and this is one of those issues. Penfield, New York, a suburb of Rochester, only had a population of 2,087 people in 1920, so its veterans wouldn't even constitute a full infantry company. The town still wished to recognize the service of its veterans, but probably did not wish to spend the money necessary to have a set of dies cut for a unique service medal. Bastian Brothers, a Rochester company known for its jewelry and medallic products, sold a generic medal for patriotic service. The town administrator's bought this design and had Bastian Brothers impress the reverse with "Penfield, NY/August 23, 1919" (the date probably representing the date the medal was awarded to local veterans). The recipient's name was also hand-engraved on the reverse of the top bar. In this case, the veteran is James H. Schlesig, who served with the 502nd Engineer Regiment in France. Even after a century, there are still discoveries to be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted January 22, 2020 Share #2 Posted January 22, 2020 That is an awesome piece, it gives me hope that there are more unknown medals for the towns in Indiana. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertmedals Posted January 22, 2020 Share #3 Posted January 22, 2020 Jeff, Great medal and always pleasure to see another unreported one show up. Thanks for posting it. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wake1941 Posted January 22, 2020 Share #4 Posted January 22, 2020 Very cool medal, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7thEvac Posted January 23, 2020 Share #5 Posted January 23, 2020 Always nice to see something new. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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