1926 Gold Kober Medal 65.6g PE Awarded to Theobald Smith

Coin Details

Description

The 1926 Gold Kober Medal weighing 65.6 grams is a prestigious medical award presented to Theobald Smith (1859-1934), one of the most important figures in the history of American medical science. The Kober Medal, established in 1925 by the Association of American Physicians in honor of Dr. George Martin Kober, recognizes outstanding achievement in medical research. Smith was a pioneering bacteriologist who discovered that Texas cattle fever was transmitted by ticks — the first demonstration that an arthropod could serve as a vector for an infectious disease, a breakthrough that transformed understanding of disease transmission worldwide. At 65.6 grams of gold, this is a substantial and intrinsically valuable award medal. The Kober Medal was designed as one of the highest honors in American medicine, and the gold composition reflects the prestige of both the award and its recipients. The medal was produced as a personal presentation piece, meaning this specific example was crafted for and awarded to Theobald Smith at the 1926 meeting of the Association of American Physicians. Smith's vector transmission discovery in 1893 predated Ronald Ross's Nobel Prize-winning demonstration of mosquito transmission of malaria by several years, though Smith never received the Nobel Prize himself. His work at Harvard, the Rockefeller Institute, and Princeton influenced virtually every branch of infectious disease research in the twentieth century. The Kober Medal recognized a lifetime of achievement that included fundamental contributions to tuberculosis research, parasitology, and immunology.

Rarity Notes

Unique presentation piece — this specific medal was awarded to Theobald Smith in 1926. Kober Medal recipients include many of the most distinguished physicians in American history. Gold award medals of this weight are inherently rare.

Cross References

PCGS #541713; Kober Medal, Association of American Physicians; Theobald Smith (1859-1934)