jmpmstr Posted November 2, 2020 Share #1 Posted November 2, 2020 For review and discussion An original Antarctic Expedition Medal with 1/2” pinback ribbon bar. I dug this out while shooting updated pictures for insurance and while I knew I had it, it’s always nice to relook in detail. From Wikipedia: The United States Antarctic Expedition Medal is a combined military-civilian award that was authorized by the United States Congress on September 24, 1945 under Public Law 185 of the 79th Congress. The award recognizes members of the United States Antarctic Expedition of 1939–1941. There were gold, silver, and bronze medals. The first United States Antarctic Expedition Medal (gold version) was presented to AdmiralRichard E. Byrd. As the 1st and 2nd Byrd Expedition medals, and the United States Antarctic Expedition medal were only authorized to be awarded to a select number of people, in 1960 the Antarctica Service Medal was created, which can be awarded generally. Adam Rohloff had a great comparison on his website outlining the difference in strike and quality between the original strikes and the reproduction items being offered today. The original striking was in the 1940s with the second, and last, official production run in the early 1960s. Text and photos from Adam Rohloff’s site “An original strike of this medal from the late 1940s is virtually unobtainable. I’ve only seen a couple in over 30 years of collecting. Examples of this second authorized production are also rare in the collector market. The bottom photo is a comparison of one of the recently manufactured fakes, on the left, with an authentic strike on the right. Note the completely different die detail and the much higher quality of the original.” (www.oldusmedals.com) Thank you to Adam for his help and insight. I’ve attached photos from Adam’s site showing his above comparison as well as photos of mine for discussion. I know you guys have the real deal out there so any gold, silver, or bronze medals in your collection please share if so inclined. Feel free to toss in any of the Peary polar and earlier Byrd expeditions as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpmstr Posted November 2, 2020 Author Share #2 Posted November 2, 2020 Based on conversation with folks more expert than me with these, I suspect this is a 1960s second run with a wrap brooch added albeit well done. The suspension knob is more rounded than the first run in the 40s. Either way I’m thrilled to have it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jweitkamp Posted November 10, 2020 Share #3 Posted November 10, 2020 The two I have currently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpmstr Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share #4 Posted November 10, 2020 Thanks for chiming in and thank you for sharing yours. I find the level of detail in these originals compared to the current fake or repro pieces is incredible when you look side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpmstr Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share #5 Posted December 18, 2021 Bringing this back up…any other original Antarctic or Polar Expedition medals out there in collections? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkite93 Posted February 9, 2023 Share #6 Posted February 9, 2023 Out of the woodwork find. Original issue medal for the expeditions photographer. Many photos and negatives to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMCR79 Posted February 9, 2023 Share #7 Posted February 9, 2023 Nice find Mike. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh B. Posted February 11, 2023 Share #8 Posted February 11, 2023 On 2/9/2023 at 12:27 PM, mkite93 said: Out of the woodwork find. Original issue medal for the expeditions photographer. Many photos and negatives to come My heart skipped a beat! To pull this from the woodwork…just wow! Really amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkite93 Posted February 11, 2023 Share #9 Posted February 11, 2023 Some examples of some negatives from the 1939 expedition and photographs with the group along with some added research. This gold medal was presented to him in November 1946 and a photo I found online of him during operation High Jump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted February 11, 2023 Share #10 Posted February 11, 2023 One of the top groups I’ve ever seen on the forum. Wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpmstr Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share #11 Posted February 20, 2023 I’m gobsmacked…that is stratospheric from a scarcity perspective but just marvelous as a historic form of instagram but showing us “then” in the now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camheff Posted June 10, 2023 Share #12 Posted June 10, 2023 First I wanted to give you a thank you for this detailed post. I inherited a large collection from my grandfather and actually found one of these in it. Im in charge of selling most of the collection for my grandmother and by looking at this post and doing some research on it, I do believe mine is authentic given the muted longitude/latitude lines and the Lettering on the front (Particularly the U T and D), unmarked crimp brooch, the matte finish as well as the rounded medallion lug. This is a rare medal and would fetch a very high price so before I post this somewhere I would appreciate a second opinion since I am still fairly new to examining collectibles and would really feel absolutely horrible if I sold a fake for such a high price. Pictures: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Medal guy Posted June 27, 2023 Share #13 Posted June 27, 2023 Here are the 2 that I have. From what earlier posts are saying, it looks like they are both from the 2nd run looking at the more rounded suspension knob, even though one is suspended from a slot brooch (re-ribboned I guess). I really appreciate the fine detailing and quality of finish on these older medals. Really great to see other examples, and of course the spectacular set with truly historic photographs from a time when there were still very wild and dangerous frontiers to explore, just wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now