(1889) Brass Medalet GW-1064, P.O.S.A. Little Red Schoolhouse

Coin Details

Auction Record

$100 AU53 04-26-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

The Musante-Baker GW-1064 medalet in brass is a small-format piece issued by the Patriotic Order Sons of America (P.O.S.A.) featuring the "Little Red Schoolhouse" motif. The P.O.S.A. was a fraternal organization founded in 1847 in Philadelphia that promoted American patriotism, public education, and the separation of church and state. The organization adopted George Washington as its symbolic figurehead, and its lodges — called "camps" — frequently commissioned medals and badges featuring Washington's portrait alongside the organization's emblems. The "Little Red Schoolhouse" was a central symbol of the P.O.S.A.'s advocacy for free public education, which the organization considered essential to the survival of the American republic. The schoolhouse motif appears on numerous P.O.S.A. medals from the 1880s through the early twentieth century, paired with Washington's portrait to reinforce the connection between the founding generation's ideals and the fraternal order's contemporary mission. As a medalet — a term designating a medal smaller than the standard 30-40mm diameter — this piece was intended as a membership token or lapel badge rather than a display medal. The brass composition provided durability appropriate for everyday wear. P.O.S.A. medals form a recognized subcategory within the Washingtoniana collecting field, documented extensively in the Musante-Baker catalog.

Rarity Notes

P.O.S.A. medalets survive in varying quantities depending on the specific camp that commissioned them. Brass examples are more durable than white metal versions and tend to survive in better condition. The organization had hundreds of camps across the northeastern United States.

Cross References

Musante-Baker GW-1064; PCGS #802703; Patriotic Order Sons of America