These six recent purchases have a delightful history, and it all started with a very generous humanitarian and his artist best friend.
The story begins with Eddie Basha Jr. (1937-2013), owner of the Basha's chain of grocery stores. Started by his father and uncle in Chandler, AZ in the 1930's, Eddie expanded the chain to a nationwide total of over 130 stores. But he was probably best known in Arizona as a humanitarian (widely known for his advocacy of and work for the schools and for the poor) and his unsuccessful 1994 campaign for Governor (he was defeated by incumbent Fife Symington). Eddie was known for being very kind and extremely funny (he was a notorious practical joker). He was also a devoted fan of Western art, thanks to his aunt Zelma Salmieri, who was an artist herself. He befriended many (if not most) of the "cowboy artists" from the 1960's until his passing, and built an impressive collection of contemporary Western art that is still on display at the Basha's corporate headquarters in Chandler. The museum is open every weekday and admission is free!
Round about 1983, Eddie decided he wanted to hand out a gift to his friends, something unique and artistic but not too ostentatious. He commissioned his buddy, cowboy artist Mike McFarland, to create a medallion (it could also be used as a paperweight) with an Indian head on it. He had a bunch made and gave them away to all of his friends. They were a HUGE hit. His close friend Joe Beeler (1931-2006) quickly stepped up and offered to sculpt the future medallions and Eddie just as quickly agreed. Over the next 23 years, between 25 and 30 different designs were created in bronze, matte finish pewter and polished pewter, with a grand total of medallions somewhere between 1000 and 1200. In 1993 the cost was about $50 apiece, so this was a very generous gift indeed! Eddie gave them out around Christmas every year, and the recipients truly treasured them.
Upon Joe Beeler's sudden death in 2006 (he had a heart attack while in the saddle, roping cattle on his neighbor's ranch), Eddie commissioned Mike McFarland for one last medallion - the smiling face of Joe Beeler. Eddie himself passed in March of 2013, and the world lost another wonderful person.
I have known about the medallions for quite some time, but have never in the past been able to afford them. While less expensive than most of Joe Beeler's works, given the nature of the gifts, they were never in my price range until very recently. I have been lucky enough to purchase four of the bronze medallions (bronze medallions fetch a premium versus the pewter ones) and two of the pewter pieces. The fourth bronze is the earliest - Eddie's name (scribed on the back) is misspelled as "Eddee Basho". Joe was an amazing artist, but apparently not much of a speller! The other three bronzes and both pewters are later, but with the passing of both parties responsible for these amazing gifts the exact date for each may never be known by yours truly. Perhaps it's time I visit the museum in Chandler!
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| Untitled Medallion 1 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler |
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| Untitled Medallion 1 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, reverse |
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| Untitled Medallion 2 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler |
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| Untitled Medallion 2 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, reverse |
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| "Bacon Rind, Osage" Medallion for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler |
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| "Bacon Rind, Osage" Medallion for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, reverse |
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| Untitled Medallion 3 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler |
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Untitled Medallion 3 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, reverse
Untitled Pewter Medallion 1 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, 1995
Untitled Pewter Medallion 1 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, 1995, reverse
Untitled Pewter Medallion 2 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler
Untitled Pewter Medallion 2 for Eddie Basha, by Joe Beeler, reverse
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I have six of the medallions, 2 that look like copper and 4 that are probably pewter. They all are signed by by artist with Eddie Basha's name engraved on the back. Is there a market for them?
ReplyDeleteMargaret (email: mrsmorten@gmail.com)
YES! The medallions are highly collectible. The copper looking ones are actually made of bronze, some of which had green or black patina applied. They others would be pewter, yes. Some medallions I've only seen in pewter, some I've seen in both pewter and bronze.
DeleteYour best bet for selling them would be via an online auction. I see them frequently pop up on eBay, where they sell at a brisk price. When they pop up in live auctions, the prices that I see trend a LOT lower. I'm not affiliated with eBay in any way other than as a user of the site, but I tend to track Beeler medallions when I see them and if they're beyond my financial reach, watch to see what they eventually fetch.
Good luck!!
Frank
The Bronze Hound
I recently acquired 3 Joe Beeler/Eddie Basha medallions.2 are bronze 1 is copper. What is the difference in value between the pewter, bronze and, copper medallions? Both my bronze medallions has Eddie misspelled. It is spelled Eddee Basha. Also one of the bronze medallions is dated '87.
ReplyDeleteOn eBay the pewter ones are selling for $125.00 - $157.00. I'm just curious how much more the bronze and copper are worth especially since the bronze fetches premium price.
The price is really subjective and from what I've seen is based more on availability than strictly on metallic content. Of course, if you have two medallions that have the same image but one is pewter and the other bronze, the bronze will fetch the higher price. The medallions are not exactly rare, but they are very collectable. It's unusual for two that are exactly the same to be offered for sale at the same time, so the value would be set by the market at the time of sale. I've seen some sell for multiple hundreds of dollars and plenty offered for less that languish on the market for years.
DeleteIf you're looking to sell your medallions, the best bet to get the best price while paying the lowest commissions is eBay. You can choose the selling strategy that fits your needs best - set the price high and take offers, or start the bidding low and hope the market is hungry to buy. If you're looking for insurance purposes, checking out past sales would be your best guide to value. I've found that when the medallions are sold at live auctions, they tend to fetch MUCH lower prices, often in the $25-$50 range for bronze ones. In the greater art market, the prevailing opinion about the medallions are that they are more collectibles than fine art. Snobs!!
As for the frequently seen "Eddee," I'm leaning more toward that being just sloppy handwriting rather than an unintentional misspelling. The script was written into the clay of the original artwork and was molded up that way, so every piece cast using that mold would have the same misspelling. If you have two of the same piece, you'll have the same script on the back. They weren't individually endorsed. To me it's more of a fun curiosity than anything that adds to the value of a given medallion.
Good luck!!
Frank
The Bronze Hound
Did he also print his name
ReplyDeleteI have one of the pewter medallions in photo six. Can you tell me an estimated value please?
ReplyDelete