103671 | SWEDEN. Alfred Nobel bronze Medal.

103671  |  SWEDEN. Alfred Nobel bronze Medal. Issued 1983 for the 150th anniversary of the birth of the inventor and philanthropist (26mm, 12h). By Erik Lindberg (for obverse, in 1901) at the Eskilstuna mint.

 

Bust left in frock coat; ALFR• / NOBEL – NAT• / MDCCC / XXXIII / OB• / MDCCC / XCVI across field // ALFRED / NOBEL / 1833-1983 in three lines within garlanded oak wreath. Edge: MV BRONS 1983.

 

Choice Mint State. Warm brown surfaces. A rare and attractive commemorative medal that parallels the nominating committee medals, channeling the same obverse as is used for those and some of the prize medals.

 

Known for inventing dynamite and bequeathing his fortune in order to fund what would become the Nobel Prizes, Alfred Nobel was a prolific inventor who held over 350 patents. In 1864, he founded the Nitroglycerin Aktiebolaget (Nitroglycerin Corporation), the world's first manufacturer of nitroglycerin. Shortly thereafter, he patented dynamite, with the explosive's first large scale usage being in the construction of the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland, where it was vital in the boring of the earth.

 

In the world of medallic art, France may come to mind for its association with some of the most skilled and elegant craftsmen and their work, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Any survey of medals and coins from this period will show the beauty that the Art Nouveau/Beaux Arts and Art Deco movements provided to the numismatic scene. However, production of artistic medals was not limited to just France. Although Sweden is not as often represented in collections and literature devoted to numismatic art, it is not due to a lack of exceptional material produced by incredible sculptor-engravers.

 

One such artist was Johan Lindberg, most commonly known by his middle name, Erik. Born in Stockholm on the final day of 1873, Erik grew up with an artistic presence, as his father, Johan Adolph, was a famous sculptor and engraver of medals, even serving as a professor at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Focused intently upon his craft, Erik split most of the 1890s training at his father's studio and studying at the Academy. Following his graduation from the Academy, he earned a scholarship for study in Paris where he was greatly influenced by the styles of such luminaries as Louis-Oscar Roty and Jules-Clément Chaplain. It was during this period that he was tasked with the creation of the medals to be awarded for the newly established Nobel Prizes, one of the first of his numismatic contributions. While the reverse designs of these majestic medals vary based upon the subject matter celebrated, the obverses all display the same classical rendition of Alfred Nobel, the creator of the trust used to finance the prizes. Outside of the Peace Prize, presented instead in Oslo, and the Economics Prize, created much later by the Sveriges Riksbank, Lindberg's renditions continue to be used for the prize medals as well as the medals presented to the nominating committees.

 

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Upload: 17 June 2026.