Miniatures

Miniatures exist for nearly every medal or decoration ever issued by any government and private society. They are rarely government or official issue. Most often they are privately manufactured and sold to anyone willing to buy. Miniature medals are usually worn by veterans on their civilian clothing or on dress uniforms by career military personnel on formal occasions. Mini’s are also popular with many collectors. I prefer the miniature medals of state issued medals more than any others but the really interesting ones are those of international societies. When a group of these comes up they can be very eye catching. For example check out the group of seven below. On the far right we have the Sons of Union Veterans membership medal and their Iron Brigade sub-division. As a Wisconsin collector the Iron Brigade miniature medal instantly caught my eye. The rest of the medals are all international society orders or awards. These groups are all sponsors of various charities and charitable institutions. The Iron Brigade medal is marked “ESCO” which is the Erffmeyer & Son Company of Milwaukee, established in 1934. The last two medals are hereditary membership groups. So how does one get the first five? By spending lots of money in the form of donations! The original owner may have been an attorney in South-Eastern Wisconsin so he probably had enough money to decorate himself with this splendid little bar and in doing so he made the world a better place for many in need.