AMSA selects American Medal of the Year

This year, there were 30 entries from 21 medalists for the American Medal of the Year (AMY) awarded by the American Medallic Sculpture Association (AMSA). Committee Chairman Mel Wacks said,…

Prize-winning medal honoring veterans of World War I was done by Susan Taylor.

This year, there were 30 entries from 21 medalists for the American Medal of the Year (AMY) awarded by the American Medallic Sculpture Association (AMSA).

Committee Chairman Mel Wacks said, “The jurors had a tough time choosing among many wonderful medals.”

The winner is Remembrance by Susan Taylor of Ottawa, Canada, honoring the heroic efforts of the artist’s grandfather, George Edie and his fellow comrades who fought in the 2nd Battle of Ypres during the “Great War for Civilization,” as World War I was then called.

Taylor describes the medal: “The portrait of the young soldier framed by the barbed wire represents youth sacrificed through the loss of life, imprisonment and emotional trauma.

“On the reverse the poppies emerging from the barbed wire symbolize the loss of life through the spent flowers, the flowers in bloom: the survivors and the young buds: the future, lest we forget,” she said.

The large 90mm bronze Remembrance medal will be limited to 45 pieces. Price is $125 plus $10 shipping (in Canadian dollars $150 plus $15 for shipping).

Email susan.taylor@sympatico.ca to place an order with Taylor.

The runner-up medal is called “Cicada Days & Firefly Nights” by Lawrence Noble for Brookgreen Gardens.

All of the AMY entries will be illustrated in the next AMSA newsletter. Medal collectors and medallists are invited to join the organization by sending $40 (U.S. and Canada) or $50 (other countries) to AMSA, P.O. Box 1201, Edmonds, WA 98020.

This article was originally printed in Numismatic News. >> Subscribe today.

More Collecting Resources

• Subscribe to our monthly Coins magazine - a great resource for any collector!

• Is that coin in your hand the real deal or a clever fake? Discover the difference with U.S. Coins Close Up, a one-of-a-kind visual guide to every U.S. coin type.