This particular odyssey began with a really good find and disappointing loss. I had been outbid in an auction for a beautiful bronze plaque and was really bummed. I'd had no idea what the plaque had been made for or for whom, but I knew that I really liked it. The artwork was exquisite though the left side of the front was oddly pockmarked and it had no writing on it. A brief time later, while searching the internet, I found an ad for this plaque. It was clearly the original version of the plaque I'd failed to win with all of the original wording on the front intact, and that answered my most basic questions. The best part was that the price was significantly less than my final bid had been for the reproduction! I snapped it up. It is actually a cast piece, though it is thin enough that it looks like repoussé from the other side. I believe it was a gift, meant to be hung in the office of the Association member who received it. Other than the obvious words on it and the "335" stamped into the back, the artist (as well as the foundry, one of which likely has the initials "CC" seen on the front) remains a mystery. If anyone knows something about this, let me know!
The funny thing about the reproduction (and I've now seen a few of them), the words were removed (cleaned off the mold and the area dimpled to match the rest of the background) before the recast was made. The area where the letters pass through the feathers was also stippled, making the feathers look weirdly chopped off. It's very easy to tell the difference between an original and a copy. I'm very, very glad to have purchased an original versus the reproduction.
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| American Paper and Pulp Association member plaque, bronze, no. 335, front |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association member plaque, bronze, no. 335, obverse |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association member plaque, bronze, no. 335, serial number |
As the years have passed, I have seen a whole bunch and purchased several other examples of this organization's logo, on plaques, trade show medals, and even letterheads and books. Firstly, I bought another bronze plaque that is identical to the first (albeit shinier) that is numbered 126. Each of the plaques are numbered uniquely on the back, to the right of the hanger ring. I believe they were numbered sequentially. I have seen numbers run up into the 700's, so at one time there were quite a few of these out in the world!
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| American Paper and Pulp Association member plaque, bronze, no. 126, front |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association member plaque, bronze, no. 126, obverse |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association member plaque, no. 126, serial number |
One dated convention medal came to me sans its ribbon. It appears to be gilded bronze and has the date April 11-14, 1921 cast in the medal across the bottom. Stamped into the back is a small logo from the manufacturer, The Standard Emblem Company of Providence, RI. It is in excellent condition for its age, no damage or wear to the gilding present. It could use cleaning, but I've left it alone for now.
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| American Paper and Pulp Association medal, gilded bronze, dated April 11-14, 1921, front |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association medal, gilded bronze, dated April 11-14, 1921, obverse |
I purchased another medal that is very similar to the last but is slightly larger in diameter and is undated. Again, it was produced by the Standard Emblem Company of Providence, Rhode Island and is missing its ribbon. It is in amazing condition for being close on a century old.
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| American Paper and Pulp Association medal, gilded bronze, undated, front |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association medal, gilded bronze, undated, obverse |
I purchased two medals with their ribbons intact as well. The first is likely the oldest. I believe it is silver plated bronze, though it may well be sterling silver. It has a ribbon in the form of the American flag (very cool), though it is missing its back pin and possibly a top bar. There are no markings on the back save some dried glue from an old price tag. Again, for being roughly a hundred years old, the fact that the silk has survived at all is nothing short of delightful!
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| American Paper and Pulp Association medal, silver (plated?), undated, silk American flag ribbon, front |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association medal, silver (plated?), undated, silk American flag ribbon, front, closeup |
The second beribboned medal came from a meeting of the technical arm of the American Paper and Pulp Association called TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry), which was formed in 1915. The medal is gilded bronze and is not dated in the medal but is dated on the ribbon. The upper bronze frame and pin are extant and in excellent condition. It was made for the fifteenth annual meeting of TAPPI on February 18-20, 1930 by the Standard Emblem Company of Providence, RI. The medal was used by TAPPI representative R. (Ronald) G. MacDonald. Mr. MacDonald was the editor of the TAPPI trade publication created from these meetings, the Technical Association Papers, in the 1930's and 1940's. Research is ongoing!
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| American Paper and Pulp Association, TAPPI participation medal, gilded bronze, dated 1930, front |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association, TAPPI participation medal, gilded bronze, dated 1930, reverse |
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| American Paper and Pulp Association, TAPPI participation medal, glided bronze, dated 1930, obverse |
And last but not least for now comes this little sweetheart. This is a small sterling silver round medallion attached to a shield shaped wood plaque backing that is stained walnut color. In the center of the medallion is the Association's Indian chief head logo though this time he is surrounded by images of events in the history of paper making in the United States. After a good deal of research, I found out that this plaque was presented to the guests of the American Paper and Pulp Association's 50th Anniversary Jubilee dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on February 24, 1927. These plaques are very rare indeed! Mine is in excellent condition and has a small ring tacked to the back so it can be hung from a nail.
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| American Paper and Pulp Association, 50th Anniversary Jubilee plaque, 1927, silver on wood |
The Standard Emblem Company was incorporated on July 2, 1918 in Providence, Rhode Island by George A MacCann, Thomas H. Foley and John G. Steele as a jewelry importer and manufacturer. I can find no information about the company after about 1937, so that may be a good date range for their medals.
That's everything from the American Paper and Pulp Association that I have right now. I have been contemplating displaying them in a shadowbox, but I have yet to find a layout that I like. As I purchase more from them, I'll add them here.
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