Monmouth County Historical Association Badge

Maker Whitehead and Hoag Company

Period1909

MediumSilk ribbon, gilt bronze

Dimensions2.25 × 2 in. (5.7 × 5.1 cm)

InscribedOn lip of pot, in ink "EDWARD S MILES"

MarkingsOn front, small coat of arms of Monmouthshire, England; On bottom edge, incised "104"

SignedIncised on man's right arm, edge, "VD Brenner"

ClassificationsBadges, Buttons, Medals, & Ribbons

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object numberB-525.1

DescriptionGold tone medal in the shape of a pot, suspended from a blue and red silk ribbon. The medal is struck with design on both sides. Engraved on front, "Not a drop of our blood / Have you shed in battle / Not an acre of our / land / Have you taken with / out our / consent," to the left of a half-length portrait of a man, facing left. On back, "MONMOUTH COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION / 1609 - 1898" encircles a relief of a ship with sails.
NotesDuring a 1903 meeting of the members of the Monmouth County Historical Association it was proposed by Edward Dean Adams that the organization should create an official insignia for its members. A committee led by Caroline G. Reed, then President of the Association, undertook this project. On 30 July 1903, Adams presented a design for approval at a meeting of the Board of Trustees. His generosity provided for the full cost of design and production. The special committee that was appointed to create the medal decided to have 100 medals struck, and to sell them to members for $3.00 each. An additional piece of insignia, a solid gold pin in the shape of an American Indian peace pipe, was created at the same time to be worn by the President of the Association. In the spring of 1904, the first batch of medals were delivered to members. By 1909, the original group of medals were completely distributed, and the Association needed to create a second group of 100 more. This round was struck by the Whitehead and Hoag Company of Newark, Essex County. Each medal has a unique number inscribed, and MCHA has lists of who purchased each badge. As of autumn 1980, there were still 26 of this lot left in the collection of the Association. The last badge was sold in October 1923 and was number 172. The Association has received several "sold" badges back as donations over the years for the collection, and also has the plaster dies for the medal design. The medal's design represents several eras of the county's early history. The medal itself is in the shape of a cooking pot similar to those used by the Lenni-Lenape, the indigenous people of the Monmouth County area. Chief Wilted Grass, the Lenni-Lenape man featured on the front of the medal, is also the author of the quote inscribed, as a response to the New Jersey legislature for a land agreement. Also on the front of the medal is the coat of arms of the Monmouth family of Monmouthshire, England, the namesake of the county. On the back is the Association's seal, which depicts Henry Hudson's ship, the "Half Moon" in Sandy Hook Bay in 1609. The 1898 date is the year that the Historical Association was founded. The red and blue ribbon represents the colors of the Monmouth family, and was supplied for free from George Vietor, an Association member from New York city. The designer of the medal was Lithuanian-born medalist Victor David Brenner (1871- 1929). He was born to Jewish parents and immigrated to America in 1890. One of Brenner's most notable designs is that of the Lincoln Head one-cent coin (the penny).

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