2019 Official Alaska State Medallion

by blackspanielgallery

The 2019 Official Alaska State Medallion is now available. This is a highly desirable series of medallions.

The 2019 Official Alaska State Medallion is now out, and it is a wonderful addition to a great collection.

For those unfamiliar with the Alaska State Medallion program, there is an annual art contest open to Alaska residents, and this is by Alaska state statute. The winning design is engraved into dies and minted into medallions by the Alaska Mint. The Alaska Mint is a private mint located in Anchorage, but the medallions are authorized by state law, and only those that are needed to meet the demand may be minted during a given year.

The Details of the 2019 Official Alaska State Medallion

The obverse of every medallion in the series is the State Seal of Alaska, which depicts an image of an Alaskan lake in front of a mountain. 

 

The 2019 medallion has the title “Bear and Fireweed,” and shows a bear walking from left to right through the Alaskan foliage.  The bear is partially outlined, and has an abstract look to it.

 

This particular medallion was designed by the artist Natalie Treadwell.  

The Design Requirements

The design must represent an aspect of Alaska.  For years this was fulfilled by an animal significant to Alaska filling the reverse of the medallion.  More recent designs, while including wildlife, also focus on other factors of Alaska, such as mountains or foliage.  Wildlife is not specifically mentioned in the contest rules, but wildlife seems to be a traditional component of the design.

2019 Official Alaska State Medallion

A Multitude of Medallions

The Official Alaska State Medallion comes in bronze, silver, and gold.  The silver and gold medallions have a purity of 0.999.  The silver medallions come in a number of sizes from as small as one-twentieth of an ounce to as large as two ounces, while the gold medallions can be found as small as one-twentieth of an ounce to as large as three ounces.  Also, some silver medallions are selectively plated in twenty-four karat gold.  The proof medallions have edge engraving that includes a serial number.  Proof medallions carry a greater value.  A one-ounce fine silver proof-like medallion also exists.  It has a reeded edge, which makes distinguishing between proof and proof-like medallions easier.

 

Medallions are also available in sets of a variety of sizes.

Older Medallions

Since the mintage is determined by a yearly demand, some older medallions have low mintages, and as a result command a high value.  This is a set well worth consideration that includes a number of very beautiful art designs that have been used over the years. 

Learn About the Entire Series

The State of Alaska has an interesting art contest annually. The winning design is placed on the Official Alaska State Medallion, which is highly collectible.

This article contains links to affiliate programs and Adsense advertising.  These must use cookies to allow for proper crediting. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

The introduction image is our own,

Updated: 01/14/2019, blackspanielgallery
 
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blackspanielgallery on 01/16/2019

I do space twice between sentences.

I have no control over scrolling. It must be a wizzley thing.

As for which are gilded and which not, the mint makes both each year. The gilded medallions cost more, and are wonderful to view.

DerdriuMarriner on 01/16/2019

blackspanielgallery, Thank you for the practicalities and products. Why, and for what or whom, is it that only "some silver medallions are selectively plated in twenty-four karat gold"? The 2018 medallion particularly looks stunning in all its proofs.
In another direction, are you having problems with the scroll bar (that allows one to click on a category instead of scrolling through all the articles) on contributor profile pages? Also, do you space twice between one sentence and the next?

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