100800 | UNITED STATES. Edsel B. Ford silver Award Medal.

100800 | UNITED STATES. Edsel B. Ford silver Award Medal. Struck circa 1930. Issued for the "Reliability Tour for the Development of Commercial Aviation" (48mm, 60.69 g, 12h). By Gorham Manufacturing Co.

 

• EDSEL B. FORD RELIABILITY TOUR FOR THE • / • DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL AVIATION •, Mercury flying left, holding model plane and caduceus; below in background, detailed view of the earth, focused upon North and South America, with oversized truck, train, sail boat, and steamship; crescent, stars, and clouds behind / FOR / PERFECT SCORE in two lines; field below left blank for engraving; all within wreath. Edge: GORHAM «3 hallmark» STERLING, clasp attached at top.

 

O'Callaghan, Ford Motor Company Tokens and Medals of Significant Interest in TAMS XXXVI.1 (February 1996), p. 14. Choice Mint State. Immensely pleasing steel gray surfaces, with an alluring matte quality and a deeper peripheral tone. Incredibly rare and never seen in the market.

 

Having been a proponent of advancing the development of commercial aviation for years, Henry Ford created the Edsel B. Ford Reliability Tour, whereby airplane manufacturers had the chance to compete in various events across the midwest in 1925. These events, beginning at the Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan, were held in 13 cities overall within a seven day period, and were meant to test the quality and craftsmanship of the airplanes as well as recognize the expertise of their pilots. During the tour's first year, a total of 11 of these 'perfect score' medals were awarded. The tour quickly became a popular annual affair, giving spectators the chance to see many large planes at a time when aviation was still very limited. The final year of the tour was 1932, as the depression had caused attention and funds to be diverted to more pressing economic issues. This incredibly rare and attractive medal, for pilots who achieved a "perfect score," is an unawarded type, possibly from the end of the tour when a few were left over. This cataloger could locate only three examples of this type, all from the initial year of the tour (awarded to Charles (Casey) Jones, Lawrence Richardson, and Glen Martin) and mostly in rough shape; none of them have any market data and are privately held.