The Valentine Medal

This medal is not for Valentine’s Day, but rather for the New York Numismatic Club (NYNC) president Daniel W. Valentine. Valentine (1863-1932) served as the NYNC president from 1918 to 1920. He is best known today for his works on half dime varieties (published in the American Numismatic Society’s Numismatic Notes and Monographs series in 1931) in addition to the volume Fractional Currency of the United States (1924). The NYNC presidential medal series is a popular one, with the Dr. Jay Galst collection representing the most significant assemblage offered in recent memory.The model for the Valentine medal was approved at the December 9, 1921 NYNC meeting, where subscriptions for the medal were invited. The club produced eight pieces in silver and 50 in copper. Pete Smith’s excellent Portrait Medals of American Numismatists, 1867-2020 notes a recent sale in silver at $1,560, while a bronze example fetched $780. An important exhibit related to this medal was presented by Jerry Fochtman at the 2013 ANA convention, who also spoke on the subject at the 2018 ANA spring convention.Link to Portrait Medals of American Numismatists, 1867-2020 on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/599832Link to Daniel W. Valentine publications on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/booksbyauthor/1950Link to Dr. Daniel Valentine: A Numismatic Pioneer (video), Jerry Fochtman presenting: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/587436