Bidspirit auction | United States – Rare medal

United States – Rare medal set “The Medallic History of the Jewish People” – two volumes (Volume I & II) containing 120 sterling silver (925) medals, each 38 mm in diameter and weighing 25.5–27 grams – over 3.2 kg of silver! Limited edition of only 1,352 sets - United States – Rare medal set “The Medallic History of the Jewish People” – two volumes (Volume I & II) containing 120 sterling silver (925) medals, each 38 mm in diameter and weighing 25.5–27 grams – over 3.2 kg of silver! Limited edition of only 1,352 sets The project “The Medallic History of the Jewish People” was conceived in the late 1960s as a response to the fact that Jewish history has been preserved mainly in written and oral form, and is scarcely represented visually. Because of the biblical prohibition against making images or sculptures, portraiture on medals had almost never existed through the generations. The rebirth of the State of Israel revived the search for Jewish identity and created a need for a visual documentation of the heroes, places, and events in the story of the Jewish people. Against this background, the Judaic Heritage Society initiated a medal series that constitutes a pictorial panorama of more than four thousand years of Jewish history. The series was designed to encompass one hundred and twenty subjects – people, places, and events. The medals were struck by The Franklin Mint in the United States in sterling silver (925) in a limited edition. The first medals were issued in August 1969, at a rate of two medals per month. Each medal was accompanied by a leaflet explaining the personality or event depicted on it. The complete set consists of two volumes (Volume I & II), each including 60 sterling silver (925) medals, 38 mm in diameter and 25.5–27 grams in weight. Each medal is individually numbered and signed. Every medal features a unique artistic design created by one of twenty-five American sculptors and medal designers. One side presents a portrait or scene, while the reverse bears a quotation from Jewish sources or a historical reflection. The medals are encapsulated in transparent plastic holders and housed in elegant black leather-bound albums, each decorated in gold print with the title of the series. The collection of 120 medals is arranged chronologically, reflecting Jewish history from Biblical times to the founding of the State of Israel. This medal set carries significant collector value and is considered one of the largest artistic series ever produced by the Franklin Mint, renowned for its exceptional quality and craftsmanship. Beyond the intrinsic silver value, the albums provide a rare and fascinating visual documentation of Jewish history from an artistic perspective. Condition: Excellent (AUNC), with natural patina on some medals. Condition as shown in the photos. List of medal names in the series “The Medallic History of the Jewish People”: 1. Abraham 2. David 3. Canaan 4. Moses 5. Samson 6. Samuel 7. Saul 8. Solomon 9. The Tribes 10. Amos 11. Bar Kochba 12. Ben Sira 13. Elijah 14. Ezekiel 15. Hillel-Shammai 16. Isaiah 17. Jeremiah 18. Job 19. Jonah 20. Josephus 21. Judah Ha-Nasi 22. Masada 23. Meron 24. Micah 25. Mount of Olives 26. Philo 27. Rabbi Akiva 28. Rachel’s Tomb 29. Simon the Just 30. The Maccabees 31. The Return (Return from Exile) 32. The Temple 33. Yohanan ben Zakkai 34. Abraham ibn Ezra 35. Elijah Gaon 36. Ghetto 37. Gracia Nasi 38. Hasdai ibn Shaprut 39. Isaac Abravanel 40. Solomon ibn Gabirol 41. The Inquisition 42. Isaac Luria 43. Joseph Caro 44. Menasseh ben Israel 45. Machpelah 46. Maimonides 47. Nahmanides 48. Peki’in 49. Rabbi Gershom 50. Rashi 51. Saadiah Gaon 52. Samuel HaNagid 53. Shabbetai Zvi 54. Spinoza 55. The Karaites 56. Wandering Jew 57. Yehuda Halevi 58. Abraham Geiger 59. Baal Shem Tov 60. Baron de Hirsch 61. Benjamin Disraeli 62. Alfred Dreyfus 63. Emma Lazarus 64. Napoleonic Sanhedrin 65. Gershom Mendes Seixas 66. Heinrich Graetz 67. Hasidism 68. Heinrich Heine 69. Israel Zangwill 70. Adolphe Crémieux 71. Isaac Mayer Wise 72. Leopold Zunz 73. Moses Mendelssohn 74. Moses Montefiore 75. Pioneers 76. Pogrom 77. Solomon Schechter 78. Shalom Aleichem 79. Shtetl 80. Simon Dubnow 81. Western Wall 82. A.D. Gordon 83. Ahad Ha-Am 84. Balfour Declaration 85. Degania 86. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda 87. Albert Einstein 88. Hayim Nahman Bialik 89. Henrietta Szold 90. Hannah Szenes 91. Theodor Herzl 92. The Holocaust 93. Ze’ev Jabotinsky 94. Jewish Defense 95. Leon Pinsker 96. Louis D. Brandeis 97. Marc Chagall 98. Martin Buber 99. Rothschild 100. S.Y. Agnon 101. Stephen S. Wise 102. Tel Hai 103. Warsaw Ghetto 104. David Ben-Gurion 105. Birth of Israel 106. Chaim Weizmann 107. Ernest Bloch 108. Exodus 109. Golda Meir 110. Ingathering of the Exiles 111. Jerusalem (The Eternal) 112. Levi Eshkol 113. Moshe Dayan 114. Moshe Sharett 115. Sinai Campaign 116. Six-Day War 117. War of Liberation 118. Yitzhak Ben-Zvi 119. Zalman Shazar 120. Jerusalem the Eternal