100522 | UNITED STATES. South Carolina Aquatic Life bronze Medal.

100522 | UNITED STATES. Brookgreen Gardens bronze Medal. South Carolina Aquatic Life. Issued 2003 (76mm, 236.59 g, 12h). By E. Offner and struck by Medallic Art Co.

 

BROOKGREEN GARDENS, alligator flailing right, head upturned left / SOUTH CAROLINA, striped bass swimming left. Edge: Plain.

 

Medal #31. As Issued. Brilliant bronze surfaces, with a charming antiqued nature and exceedingly high relief.

 

Opening to the public in 1937, Brookgreen Gardens is a tranquil South Carolina locale combining both nature and sculpture into a unique environment. The husband and wife duo of the Huntingtons–philanthropist Archer Milton and medallist-sculptor Anna Hyatt–purchased the tracts of land which would become the gardens in 1931. It is only fitting that a series of medals, each by a different artist, would eventually be offered by the institution. The initial piece was produced in 1945, and a gap of nearly 30 years occurred before the series would become annual in 1973. Owing to their yearly offering, use of new artists, and size, it is easy to see how they can be treated as an analog to the Society of Medalists (until the dissolution of the Society in 1995), and now, a successor to the Society.