n honor of the 25th Anniversary of NEMCA, NEMCA issued a replica of the medallion of the great Scottish magician John Henry Anderson (1814-1874), also known as Professor Anderson, Great Wizard of the North.  The medallion debuted at Yankee Gathering X, November 4-6, 2004, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

The original medallion, from which this replica was made, was issued by Anderson in honor of his command performance before Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle in 1849.  It is perhaps the most prized of all magician tokens, listed as MT014 in Magicians' Tokens and Related Items by F. William Kuethe, Jr., Oct. 1978.  Fewer than a half-dozen of the original gold-plated MT014 tokens are known to exist.  Three different Anderson medallion designs also exist in pewter, and were perhaps made later, but are also rare and highly sought-after.

This Anderson medallion is the first in a series that are issued at Yankee Gatherings.  The second in the series is the medallion honoring Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft from 1584.

The NEMCA Anderson replica medallion is die struck, heavy, and the same large size as the original Anderson medallion.  One side of the replica is an exact copy of the obverse of the rare gold-plated MT014 Anderson medallion that was originally in the collection of Jay Marshall, Dean of American Magicians (except for the removal of the hole present at the top of all known original Anderson gold-plated medallions).  The Anderson replica die was made from an expert casting created by master craftsman Carl Williams of Custom Magic from the original medallion.  The other side of the replica medallion depicts the NEMCA 25th anniversary logo.  Both sides of the medallion are in deep relief.  The medallion is a striking tribute to Professor Anderson, and is the largest token that NEMCA has issued.

The replicas were made in four different metals.  All of the versions are 2 inches in diameter, 1/4 inch thick, with a serial number on the smooth edge (e.g., "17/100" means #17 out of 100).  The metals, edition sizes, weights, and pricing are as follows:

*Weights for all coins above are expressed both in troy ounces (ozt.), which is the standard weight system for precious metals (like silver and gold), and standard (avoirdupois) ounces (oz.), the normal weight system (ounces, pounds, etc.) used in the U.S. for general purposes.

All of the various metals for this Anderson medallion are limited edition.  No more of these medallions will be made.  Please note that the 14K gold Anderson replica medallions were available only by advance, pre-paid order.  Eight 14K gold medallions were pre-ordered and made, and the gold medallions are sold out.  The other three metals are still available.  Also note that the relatively high price ($125) of the solid .999 fine silver medallions is due to the substantial amount of silver in this large coin, weighing three times as much as most silver tokens (which are usually just one troy ounce).

As is typical for medallions such as this that have a deep relief design, the mint used a double or triple strike of the hardened steel dies when creating each medallion.  These multiple strikes leave a satin finish on the medallions, rather than a shiny finish.  To provide an attractive shiny luster befitting the precious metal composition, all of the solid 14K gold medallions were plated in 14K gold, and the solid .999 fine silver medallions were plated in pure silver.

Every medallion is enclosed in a clear acrylic Air-Tite capsule (which can be opened) for display and protection.  In addition, each .999 fine silver and 14K gold medallion is packaged in a presentation box with an attractive, signed certificate of authenticity.

The Anderson medallion replicas were originally sold at the Yankee Gathering X convention itself, and those that remain can now be ordered in the same manner as other NEMCA collectibles.  See the Collectibles page for information on shipping charges, and the address for sending payment.  Anderson medallions can be combined with any other NEMCA collectibles in the same order, with the same check for payment.