Anniversary Medal
Anniversary Medal. A medallic item issued on the occasion of a significant anniversary. While centennials and bicentennials receive, perhaps, the most attention, anniversaries in a variety of multiples of 10, or 25, or 100-year periods have been celebrated. American anniversaries of the centennial of Independence in 1876, and the bicentennial in 1976, were occasions for a tremendous outpouring of medals. Likewise
the 400th anniversary (quadricentennial) of the discovery of America by Columbus – in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1898-93 – was also the occasion for hundreds of medals and related items to be issued. Anniversary medals are often called jubilee medals, where “jubilee” does not have a fixed year meaning. Silver jubilee, however, indicates a 25-year anniversary. golden jubilee a 50-year anniversary and diamond jubilee a 60-year or even a 75-year anniversary. Britain’s long reigning sovereign, Queen Victoria, celebrated all three of these with a silver jubilee in 1862, gold in 1887, and 60-year diamond in 1897.The anniversary does not have to be an even multiple, absurdly one of the strangest was a Washington Medal (Baker 371). Since everyone was issuing a medal in 1876, the Brooklyn Sunday School Union put out a 47th anniversary medal that year! Later, in 1954, the Penn Mutual Company issued a 107th anniversary medal. Collectors like to track an organization or institution and collect the anniversary medals throughout their history. (See illustration of New Haven 200th and 300th Anniversary Medals under entry: after).In America we do not have the historical heritage or are even aware of specific events which occurred, say, 1000 years ago. Despite this a 2000-year anniversary bimillenary medal was struck in 1930 by Medallic Art Company in America for the birth of the classical Roman poet Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) for the American Classical League (1930-8).The adjacent chart lists the names for each anniversary from 1st through 40th and other significant years. Word List #3 Anniversary Names 1st – Anniversary 2nd – Biennial 3rd – Triennial, Triennium 4th – Quadrennial 5th – Quinquennial 6th – Sextennial, Sexennial 7th – Septennial 8th – Octennial 9th – Novennial 10th – Decennial 11th – Undecennial, Undecennary 12th – Duodecennial 13th – Tridecennial 14th – Quadridecennial 15th – Quindecennial 16th – Sextdecennial 17th – Septdecennial 18th – Octodecennial 19th – Novedecennial 20th – Vicennial 21st – Unicennial 22nd – Duovicennial 23rd – Trivicennial 24th – Quadrivicennial 25th – Quinvicennial, Silver Jubilee, Semi Jubilee 26th – Sextevicennial 27th – Septevicennial 28th – Octovicennial 29th – Novevicennial 30th – Tricennial 31st – Untricennial 32nd – Duotricennial 33rd – Tertricennial 34th – Quadritricennial 35th – Quintricennial 36th – Sextetricennial 37th – Septetricennial 38th – Octotricennial 39th – Novetricennial 40th – Quadricennial 45th – Quinquadricennial 50th – Quinquecennial, Semicentennial, Semicentenary, Jubilee, Golden Jubilee 60th – Sextecennial, Diamond Anniversary 70th – Septecennial 75th – Quinseptecennial, Diamond Jubilee 80th – Octocennial 90th – Novecennial 100th – Centennial, Centenary 125th – Quasquicentennial 150th – Sesquicentennial 200th – Bicentennial, Bicentenary 250th – Semiquinquecentennial 300th – Tricentennial, Tercentenary 350th – Semiseptecentennial 400th – Quadricentennial 500th – Quincentennial, Semimillennium 600th – Sextecentennial 700th – Septecemtennial, Septcentennary 800th – Octocentennial 900th – Novecentennial 1000th – Millennium, Millenniary, Millennial 1500th – Sesquimillennium 2000th – Bimillenaryexcerpted with permission from
An Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology
For Artists, Makers, Collectors and Curators
COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY D. WAYNE JOHNSON
Roger W. Burdette, Editor