Is this a medallion or a coin???? Anyone know?

[Beverly Frick]

Does anyone know what this is?  The medallion or coin is about 2 1/2" across.             There is a 5 pointed star  a bird with it's head down,  probably a pelican feeding 3 young birds and two animals (one a wolf?) on their hind legs with a bucket in between them.  There is a sticker on the back saying "two Plus Two "Gallery, New Orleans".  I tried a magnet through the glass and there was no response.                                                                                                                        

[Molly]

[Molly]

http://www.holabirdamericana.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Dec.-20...

NUMISMATICS is MY new word of the day.  I, personally, believe it to be some sort of token or medal? A medallion, sure...a coin?  There is a Two Plus Two Gallery in New Orleans, so perhaps it was part of an art exhibit.  It could be some sort of family "crest" or the design for some group or "order"?  I find the letters in the directional points interesting. M, D, G and A.  Maybe that is the direction to look?

[Beverly Frick]

 Thanks for your input and Molly for turning it so it would be right.  I don't see the letters --oh now I do see them!!!!  I'll see if I can contact the Two Plus  Two Gallery and see if they know anything about it since they 'framed' it.

[Molly]

The characters represented, definitely have meaning in the symbolic realm...

Star

Wolf

Pelican

Bird

But to know exactly what the artist is representing in this piece?

[Molly]

https://www.pelicancommunitycenter.org/the-pelican-a-christian-symbol/

http://www.thecardinalexperience.com/faith.php#.XPuuYYhKjIU

https://www.luc.edu/wolfkettle/The_legend.shtml

https://www.geni.com/projects/The-Druze-People-Religion-Al-Muwa%25E...

https://gnosticteachings.org/glossary/f.html

http://www.gongoff.com/symbology/the-letter-m-symbolism

http://www.gongoff.com/symbology/the-letter-d

https://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/letter-g.html

http://www.resurrectisis.org/A1WebPage.htm

This ought to get you thinking!  Have a great day

[Jeff Guy]

Are you sure about the size? It may be a dubloon, from New Orleans Mardis Gras, if it is smaller than you said. They throw them from the floats during Mardis Gras parades. Usually made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, some of the older ones are made of other metals. I don't recognize the Krewe (private club) that would have made it, but take it out of the frame - the krewe name is probably printed on the back. Each krewe will have their own dubloons made and hand them out ("throw me somethin mister"). They've been passing out dubloons since the 1960's, and new krewes are still being formed, though some of the krewes go back to the 1800's. (Dubloons are rarely worth much money, though some of the earlier ones from the more historic krewes are probably collected).

Two plus two is a restaurant/bar in New Orleans catering to tourists, so if it isn't a real dubloon from a krewe, it may be a promotional piece made up by the restaurant to hand out to customers.

[Molly]

I think one noticeable difference is that the doubloons all have writing on them, or at least a date.  They seem to be made of different metals, as well.  Some are quite intricate, for sure, but this piece seems different.  At the same time, M ar D i G ras uses 3 of the 4 perimeter letters and F could be Festival??  

[Molly]

Size - Doubloons are typically 1 3/4 inches in diameter, but from very early on in the history of Mardi Gras doubloons, variations in size have been used.   At first this was a money-saving feature, as it was in an ill-fated attempt in 1979 to reduce the standard size to 1 inch.   Some krewes also produced larger doubloons of 2 inches, which along with the smaller size of 3/4 inch, have regained popularity in recent times.   Terminology for these is also poor with names like "mini" or "mini mini".   And to add to the confusion, in 2008 Orpheus began throwing a 2 1/2 inch, 10 gauge doubloon, which looked more like a flying manhole cover.   New dies must be cut for each change in doubloon diameter, making them more expensive and more likely to be in the special aluminum class rather than throw doubloons.

[Molly]

Heavies are doubloons made out of bronze, copper, silver oxide, nickel, sterling silver or other metals.   They are generally of thicker gauge and often have a high-relief design and a patina applied (antiquing).   And, of course, they are much heavier than aluminum.   These are high-end doubloons, produced in lower quantity (some as low as just a few per year) and much more expensive than aluminum doubloons.   As a high-end product, they tend to retain their value but don't show up in a lot of collections because of cost and limited availability.

[Molly]

Just lending some information to Jeff's theory. 

I still wonder about the lack of writing...if doubloons are made to advertise a Krewe or anything else, I would wonder why this would not say anything...or document the year it was created to commemorate the occasion? 

[Beverly Frick]

  I tried calling the number listed on the back for "Two Plus Two Gallery" and it has been disconnected. Just noticed  their logo which appears to be a cross until you look closer. I have a lot of doubloons and they all  have writing and a date.  Took a picture with one showing the size difference.

[Beverly Frick]

How do I reduce the size of a picture?