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HomeMedals and TokensRear Admiral William Sims and the 1900 Paris Expo Medal

Rear Admiral William Sims and the 1900 Paris Expo Medal

Rear Admiral William Sims & the 1900 Paris Expo Medal. Images courtesy Stack's Bowers Galleries

By Jeremy BostwickSenior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers ……
Award medals often combine the elegant and artistic elements of numismatics with interesting aspects of material culture, often relating the individual to whom they were awarded to a particular event in time.

A prime example of this phenomenon is a silver medal featured in the Stack’s Bowers January 2021 sale—an officially sanctioned auction of the 2021 NYINC. It was issued for the 1900 International Exposition held in Paris, France, a beautifully rendered medal by Jules-Clément Chaplain, a key figure in the founding of the Art Nouveau movement.

His obverse design is the head of Marianne (an allegory for France herself) facing right, wearing a Phrygian cap (emblematic of liberty) and an oak wreath, while an oak tree is in the background to the right, and a partial veduta of Paris is at a distance to the right. On the reverse, Victory flies to the left with her head upturned, holding a wreath and bearing on her back the seated figure of Progress, who guides with a lighted torch; in the background are the exposition buildings and grounds to the lower left, while a decorative plaque is placed below, embossed rather plainly with the text “W. SIMS.” It is here that the material culture aspect comes in.

It is uncertain what caused “W. Sims” to receive an award, but the recipient was undoubtedly Lt. (later Rear Adm.) William Sims, who was pivotal in the American naval intelligence operation against Spain during the Spanish-American War. Leading these efforts from Paris at the time, he then remained in the French capital to oversee American efforts at the Expo – which likely garnered him this award.

Sims would play a much larger role not long after, however, as he successfully (eventually) fought for modernization in the United States Navy. After an encounter with a British admiral whereupon he viewed their use of “continuous aim” gunfire while at sea, Sims inquired about such technology from the allies. Seeing first-hand the increased effectiveness, he then approached the U.S. Navy, hoping to bring about these much-needed changes. He was quickly and repeatedly dismissed and ridiculed. It was only after he approached President Theodore Roosevelt himself that the Navy was compelled to take up his suggestions, which were then rather swiftly enacted.

After the U.S. entered World War I, Sims was sent to London to act as the senior naval representative. By the war’s end, he was commanding all U.S. naval forces operating in Europe. His book published shortly thereafter, chronicling his experiences during WWI and entitled The Victory at Sea, won the Pulitzer Prize in History for 1921.

While being a highly artistic and attractive Art Nouveau medal in its own right, in this case, it is the recipient that enhances the appeal, especially for the role that he played in the U.S. Navy. Look for this fascinating medal in the online portion of our January auction, coming to our website soon.

To view our upcoming auction schedule and future offerings, please visit StacksBowers.com where you may register and participate in this and other forthcoming sales.

We are always seeking coins, medals, and paper money for our future auctions, and are currently accepting submissions through January 15, 2021, for our April 2021 Hong Kong auction. Our next CCO (Collectors Choice Online) auction will crossing the block in February 2021. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.

Stack’s Bowers Relocating to Costa Mesa

Did you know the Stack’s Bowers Galleries California headquarters is moving?

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is pleased to announce the opening of our new headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. The new space has been designed specifically for Stack’s Bowers Galleries to meet the needs of our growing firm. In addition to being larger and state of the art, the facility will feature an auction room and a dedicated lot viewing space. We anticipate that this move will allow us to better serve clients over the many facets of our business.

Our mailing address has changed, and we ask you to make a note of this, especially when sending bid sheets or making payment by mail. Please note that our phone and fax numbers remain the same:

Stack’s Bowers Galleries
1550 Scenic Ave. #150
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 United States

Stack's Bowers
Stack's Bowershttps://stacksbowers.com/
Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, internet, and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection, and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California with galleries in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris, and Vancouver.

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