HERALDIC ART MEDAL XXVII, MISSISSIPPI STATEHOOD, 1967

HISTORY: Robert McNamara, from Cleveland, Ohio, began minting his Heraldic Art Medals in 1959 when the U.S. Mint discontinued issuing commemorative coins. He produced 60 medals and several special issues until closing in 1978. Three coins were designed and produced per year and each had a production run of about 6,000, all struck in sterling silver and mostly designed by McNamara.

OBVERSE: The State of Mississippi celebrated the sesquicentennial of statehood in 1967 with the issue of this medal. An eagle, with wings spread, is the image found on the state seal and central to this design. Two Indian warriors, representing the Choctaw Nation of Mississippi, brace each side of the eagle plaque. The Choctaw was the first Indian Nation to be recognized by the U.S. federal government in Mississippi. On the pedestal is the inscription “BY VALOR AND ARMS,” which on the Mississippi coat of arms translates in Latin, “Virtute et Armis.”

REVERSE: The top reads “21st STATE * 1817” above the image of a side-wheel riverboat, steaming down the Mississippi River. A cotton branch in full bloom embellishes the bottom of the medal.