Medal (Award or premium)

Description

This die-struck medal was awarded as a premium or prize in 1871 to the recently-established Thorndike Manufacturing Company for their exhibit of elastic web and suspenders entered into the annual New England Agricultural Society fair. The medal was designed by the chief engraver and die-sinker for the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, where blanks were struck in silver or bronze, to be later engraved with a recipient's name and details. The Thorndike Manufacturing Company was a significant employer in Lowell, Massachusetts at the time of this award, but in early January 1872 the business suffered a "destructive fire" that consumed stock, parts of the building, and machinery according to contemporary newspaper accounts. The firm rebuilt and continued production.