By Mike Byers for Mint Error News ……
Charles Lindbergh 14″ Obverse Bronze Galvano
For the 1928 Congressional Gold Medal
Designed and Sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser
Unique in Private Hands
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This is a unique bronze galvano of the obverse for the 1928 Charles A. Lindbergh Congressional Gold Medal that was designed and sculpted by artist Laura Gardin Fraser. This was from the estate of Laura Gardin Fraser.
In medallic work, a galvano is always one-sided and made by placing a bas-relief mold or pattern (of plaster, plastic, or metal) in an electrolytic tank containing an electrolyte solution. Galvanos can be made positive or negative (provided the pattern is the opposite: a positive pattern makes a negative galvano). In the numismatic and medallic field, negative galvanos are the form of pattern making of a bas-relief to be converted into a die. Galvano casts are often mounted on wood and become a very desirable wall hanging.
After extensively researching auction records from the largest coin auction houses and contacting several world-renowned numismatists including USPatterns.com, it appears that this is the only Laura Gardin Fraser galvano in private hands. A few of her galvanos exist in museums like the Syracuse University Art Museum and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma.
Who Was Laura Gardin Fraser?
Laura Gardin Fraser was a noted American sculptor and the first woman to design a U.S. commemorative coin. She was the winner of the design competition for the 1932 Washington quarter by the United States Commission of Fine Arts. This design was issued as the 1999 George Washington Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar coin, and her obverse design was used for the circulating American Women Quarter Program starting in 2022.
Her officially adopted designs include the 1921 Alabama half dollar, the 1922 Grant gold dollar and half dollar, and the 1925 Vancouver half dollar. Additionally, she co-designed the 1926 Oregon Trail half dollar with her husband, sculptor James Earle Fraser.
The 1928 Charles A. Lindbergh Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is our country’s highest honor, recognizing and appreciating the achievements and contributions of individuals or institutions. The United States Mint struck this medal in gold, which was presented to Lindbergh. The Smithsonian Institute has one example in gilt bronze. Bronze versions were struck by the Mint for sale to collectors.
The Congressional Gold Medal was authorized by Congress on May 4, 1928 and was presented to Col. Charles A. Lindbergh by President Calvin Coolidge at the White House on August 15, 1930. This medal commemorated him for the first non-stop transatlantic flight between New York City and Paris on May 20-21, 1927.
This unique bronze galvano belongs in a museum or private collection of Laura Gardin Fraser coin and medal designs. This would be the centerpiece in a collection dedicated to Charles Lindbergh or Congressional Gold Medals. For more material related to this issue, check out my offering of the Lindbergh Gold Medal plaster.
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