1925 Silver Medal Norse American, Thick

Coin Details

Auction Record

$12,600 MS67 03-25-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1925 Norse American thick silver medal is one of the most collected American medals of the twentieth century, produced to commemorate the centennial of the arrival of the first organized group of Norwegian immigrants to the United States. On October 9, 1825, the sloop Restaurationen sailed from Stavanger, Norway with fifty-two passengers and arrived in New York City after a fourteen-week voyage, inaugurating a wave of Scandinavian immigration that would profoundly shape the upper Midwest. The obverse, designed by James Earle Fraser, depicts a Viking ship under full sail, capturing the maritime heritage that connected medieval Norse exploration with the nineteenth-century immigrant experience. Fraser, one of America's foremost sculptors and the designer of the Buffalo Nickel, brought his exceptional skill to this commission. The reverse features a kneeling Viking figure with shield, evoking the Norse explorers who reached North America centuries before Columbus. The thick format distinguishes this version from the thin striking, with both varieties sharing the same 35mm diameter but differing noticeably in their edge width and overall weight. The Norse American medal was quasi-official, authorized by the Norse-American Centennial Committee that organized the celebration in Minneapolis on June 6-9, 1925, with President Calvin Coolidge in attendance. Though not a U.S. Mint product, the medal's design by Fraser and its association with a congressionally recognized celebration have given it a status that approaches that of official commemorative medals. The thick variety is considered the scarcer and more desirable of the two formats.

Rarity Notes

The thick variety was produced in smaller numbers than the thin version. Both varieties are actively collected. Mintage figures vary by source but the thick is generally considered scarcer. Well-struck examples with full detail on the Viking ship rigging command premiums.

Cross References

PCGS #9450; NGC #722003; Norse-American Centennial 1825-1925; designer James Earle Fraser