1921 Medal Simon Bolivar Matte Silver Whitehead & Hoag Co.(Regular Strike)

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,980 MS63 01-20-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1921 Simon Bolivar matte silver medal produced by the Whitehead & Hoag Company honors the Venezuelan military and political leader known as El Libertador — the Liberator of South America. Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) led the independence movements that freed Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spanish colonial rule, making him the most consequential figure in Latin American history. The medal's 1921 date corresponds to the centennial of one of the decisive battles in the South American wars of independence. Whitehead & Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey was one of America's leading manufacturers of medals, badges, buttons, and advertising specialties from the 1890s through the mid-twentieth century. Their products were known for consistent quality and reliable attribution, making the company name on a medal a mark of professional manufacture. The matte silver finish, achieved through sandblasted dies, gives the medal a refined, non-reflective surface that emphasizes the sculptural qualities of the portrait. Bolivar's legacy resonated powerfully in the early twentieth century, when Pan-American ideals of hemispheric solidarity were actively promoted by both Latin American governments and the United States. The production of a Bolivar medal by an American firm reflects the era's emphasis on shared Western Hemisphere values and the recognition of Bolivar as a revolutionary figure comparable in stature to George Washington — a parallel that Bolivar himself explicitly cultivated during his lifetime.

Rarity Notes

Whitehead & Hoag silver medals were produced in limited quantities. The matte finish indicates premium production quality. Simon Bolivar commemorative medals are collected across the Americas.

Cross References

PCGS #913464; Whitehead & Hoag Company, Newark NJ; Simon Bolivar (1783-1830)