Numismatic Society & Convention Medals

About This Coin

Numismatic Society and Convention Medals encompass a vast category of medallic issues produced at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of approximately 46.4 million pieces, commemorating the organizations, gatherings, and milestones of the American numismatic community itself. These medals were struck for organizations including the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the American Numismatic Society (ANS), and numerous regional and specialty numismatic clubs, typically distributed at annual conventions and membership events. A notable auction result of $1,300 in MS62 grade at eBay indicates that most examples remain accessible to collectors at moderate prices, though rare early issues and special compositions can command significant premiums. Convention medals serve a dual purpose: they commemorate specific gatherings with date, location, and thematic designs, and they function as collectible souvenirs that document the institutional history of organized numismatics in America. The ANA convention medal series, produced annually since the early 20th century, is the most widely collected subseries, with each year's medal featuring designs related to the host city or a numismatic theme. The enormous aggregate mintage of 46.4 million reflects the cumulative production across hundreds of individual issues spanning more than a century of organized numismatic activity. Collectors often focus on specific organization or convention series rather than attempting comprehensive coverage, using these medals to build parallel collections that document their involvement in the numismatic community.