The "An Historical Memento To Treasure" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Cropping all my photos that I took about an hour ago at a friend's house of medals that were created by the Red Rose Coin Club in Lancaster, PA.  The club was started in 1958 and every year they created a medal that reflected on some event, person, place or thing that had a connection to Lancaster County, PA.  Medals were made that depicted the Strasburg Railroad, F.W. Woolworth Department Store and the Conestoga Wagon to name a few.  

The logo of the Red Rose Coin Club

My friend joined the club in 1997, but still was able to purchase all the medals from 1958.  His collection is quite impressive as well as memorable.  The medals are about the size of a silver dollar and can be made in either silver or bronze with the silver medals more expensive as well as more valuable.  The price is based upon the cost of the metal when the medal was made.  I'm not sure of the edition number of each medal, but enough were made so that new members and interested persons could purchase past medals. The medals were designed by a club member who happened to be a talented artist.  He would create the design then it would be given to a sculptor who prepared a plastic mold from which a rubber copy was made.  An engraver would then prepare a metal die and then strike the medals.  A few years ago the artist in the club gave up his duties and a new member of the club took over the drawing of the design.  The pictures and detail seem to be the same to me, so I assume the new member is as talented an artist as the first one.  

The 1913 Red Rose Coin Club medal.

I was able to photograph all 55 medals that my friend had and make copies of small cards that described the medals from 1966 through 1996.  The other medals may have had cards to describe the image, but he doesn't have them.  The scenes are easy to view and describe, so a card for most is not necessary.  This year's medal is an interesting one.  It depicts the massacre of the Conestoga Indians by the Paxton "Boys" in December of 1763 - 250 years ago.  The design shows the massacre with the killers dressed in anachronistic 19th century garb and the Indians half-naked in the snow in front of the Lancaster Prison which eventually became the Fulton Opera House in downtown Lancaster.  I have written stories of the Indians as well as the Fulton Opera House in past posts.  This year the medals cost $15 for a bronze version and $65 for the silver.  In the next few weeks I will post images of a few of my friends medals and give you some of the history behind each medal.  Many of the medals I have written stories about over the last four years and now I can share the medal and a brief story about them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.