Photo Credit: jamoni10
French Art Deco Medal Set by Paul-Marcel Dammann
Buy It Now Price: $420 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This Art Deco medal set by the French Artist Paul-Marcel Dammann was created in 1932 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité (Parisian Electric Distribution Company).
-This exquisite set contains two identical medals struck in different metals – one in solid silver and the other in bronze. The medals feature an attractive rendition of the personification of electricity on the obverse and a woman bestowing light on the Parisian skyline on the reverse.
-The Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité, or CPDE, was founded in 1907 with an initial capitalization of 100 million gold francs and was subsequently listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1908. It was eventually nationalized and folded into the EDF group (Électricité de France) in 1946.
-Both medals are impressively large, with a diameter of 64 mm (2.52 inches). The silver medal weighs a massive 132 grams (4.24 troy ounces), while its bronze counterpart is a hefty 120 grams (3.86 troy ounces). Art medals this large are rather unusual and very desirable.
-This Art Deco medal set was designed by Paul-Marcel Dammann, a French artist who lived from 1885 to 1939. Although he was best known for his Art Deco pieces, his other work was also well regarded. Paul-Marcel Dammann won many awards throughout his career, including the coveted Premier Grand Prix de Rome in 1908.
-This Art Deco medal set comes in its original, fitted case! It is always a pleasure to be able to find a high quality antique in its original case. The original case modestly boosts the value of the medal set, as well.
-The original case is stamped with the name of the medal manufacturer, “Arthus Bertrand Paris”. Arthus Bertrand is a famous French medal-making firm that was founded in the early 19th century during the Napoleonic era. The company still operates today and is responsible for producing the coveted French Legion of Honor medal.
-This Art Deco medal set is a magnificent celebration of 1930s artistic style. The design is streamlined and bold, yet also sports a geometric sensibility that is characteristic of the Art Deco zeitgeist. I especially enjoy how the artist subtly worked lightning bolts into the obverse design to pay homage to the issuing company – Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité.
-I believe that antique European art medals, especially French art medals, are ridiculously undervalued in today’s marketplace. Therefore, I find the $420 asking price for this impressive Art Deco medal set to be completely reasonable.
Cons:
-This French Art Deco medal set is close to the top of the price range for European art medals. Excellent examples can usually be found in the $100 to $300 range. However, because of its superlative design, extraordinarily large size and original case, I believe this Art Deco medal set is well worth its premium price.
-Subject matter significantly affects the value of antique art medals. Some topics, like automobiles, aviation and royalty, tend to have higher valuations assigned to them then other topics. The 25th anniversary of the founding of the Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité is mid tier in terms of its desirability.
