Owner Comments:
MEDAL APPEARANCE/CONDITION:
Silver Proof Variety - Choice Brilliant Gem+ Proof: Ultra Cameo
Pedigreed: #00039 (Engraved on Edge of Medal)
*Handsome ultra cameo example of this rare issue. Deep cameo fields enhance the frosty obverse devices. The reverse appears to be a mixture between a business and proof strike. An interesting strike-type; one I have never seen. — Matches its bronze counterpart of the same design. Both of which are included in this collection. — Extremely low serial number of 00039 as indicated by the strike quality.*
MEDAL BACKGROUND:
Struck to commemorate the centennial of Custer County in Westcliffe, CO which is also the same year as Colorado's statehood centennial - The reverse displays a poem by Mary E. Martin; “My steps grow quicker when I'm among these mountains. I would like to dance along the tops of trees, touch the new white mountains, be whirled in a wind of sun and snow. Each breath would be as big as the sky, and my arms would embrace this nobility of land'."
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From the “Comprehensive Calendar of Bicentennial Events, September 1976”
The local celebration for Westcliffe, Colorado during the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial/Colorado Centennial was as follows:
- Fair: “Ladies and Bazaar” which focused on “Group Empowerment” for both “Women” and “General.”
Bronze and silver medal sets were issued to commemorate the event. The obverse depicts Custer County as a Centennial Community in Westcliffe, Colorado with associated imagery. The reverse aligns with the event’s primary theme which includes a poem by Mary E. Martin.
- When: Sunday, November 7, 1976 at 1:00 PM
- Sponsor: Custer-County Centennial-Bicentennial Committee
RARITY: Unknown; Likely rare
NGC Census not available.
**NOTE: The silver proofs have a serial number inscribed on the edge in the format of 00000. This specimen is 00039 which is an extremely low number as indicative of the strike quality. The highest number I have seen on the edge of a silver example is 00118 but uncertain how many were actually issued, as resources on the event are limited.
MEDAL DESCRIPTION:
(Silver, 39mm, Round, Plain/Lettered Edge)
OBVERSE: Custer County - A Centennial Community / 1876-1976 / Westcliffe, Colorado / (Associated Colorado Imagery)
REVERSE: My steps grow quicker when I'm among / these mountains. I would like to dance along / the tops of trees, touch the new white / mountains, be whirled in a wind of sun and / snow. Each breath would be as big as the sky, / and my arms would embrace this / nobility of land / -Mary E. Martin / (Seal/Emblem of the Colorado Centennial-Bicentennial Commission) / Outline of the Colorado Flag Behind the Poem)
EDGE: 00039
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
(Custer County, Colorado):
“Custer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,704 The county seat is Westcliffe.” — Credited Source: "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
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(Westcliffe, Colorado):
“Westcliffe is a statutory town that is the county seat of Custer County, Colorado, United States. At the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 568, up from 417 in 2000.” — Credited Source: "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Westcliffe town, Colorado". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020.