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The Norse-American medal was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1925, pursuant to an act of Congress. It was issued for the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the ship ''Restauration'', bringing early Norwegian immigrants to the United States. Minnesota Congressman Ole Juulson Kvale, a Norse-American, wanted a commemorative for the centennial celebrations of the ''Restauration'' journey. Rebuffed by the Treasury Department when he sought the issuance of a special coin, he instead settled for a medal. Sculpted by Buffalo nickel designer James Earle Fraser, the medals recognize those immigrants' Viking heritage, depicting a warrior on the obverse and a vessel on the reverse. They also recall the early Viking explorations of North America. Once authorized by Congress, they were produced in various metals and sizes, for the most part prior to the celebrations near Minneapolis in June 1925. Only 53 were issued in gold, and they are rare and valuable today; those struck in silver or bronze are much less expensive. They are sometimes collected as part of the commemorative coin series. == Background and inception == On July 4 or 5, 1825, the vessel ''Restauration'' sailed from Stavanger, Norway for the United States, with 45 emigrants aboard. According to what ''The New York Times'' deemed "bacchanalian" legends of its passage, the expedition anchored off an English seacoast village and traded ashore some of its rum, only to depart in haste when local officials took an interest. Off Madeira, expedition leader Lars Larsen is said to have fished a cask from the sea, which proved to be filled with rare wine that was thoroughly enjoyed by those aboard.〔 After they arrived in New York on October 9, 1825, the ship was seized pursuant to a court order, as the passengers exceeded the permitted number for a ship of its size by 21, counting a baby girl born to the Larsens en route. In addition, a fine was to be imposed, but because the immigrants spoke no English and had no knowledge of American laws, President John Quincy Adams issued a pardon, releasing the ship and remitting the fine. Initially settling on land they purchased near the shore of Lake Ontario, about from Rochester, New York, the passengers were the first of many Norse-Americans who crossed the Atlantic, especially to the northern and western United States.〔 Ole Juulson Kvale was a Minnesota congressman of the Farmer-Labor Party,〔 and a proud Norse-American. Kvale was a member of the Norse-American Centennial Commission, which was to organize a 100th anniversary celebration of the ''Restaurations voyage. This celebration was important to a Norse-American community that had been perceived as antiwar during World War I, and was attempting to display both ethnic pride and assimilation. Kvale, a Lutheran minister, was also a member of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures,〔(【引用サイトリンク】Kvale, Ole Juulson (1869—1929) )〕 and in January 1925 approached the Treasury Department, seeking its support for a commemorative coin in honor of the anniversary. He was told that the Treasury would oppose it. Commemorative coins for ethnic heritage groups were unlikely to pass Congress at that time due to the controversy caused by the 1924 Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary half dollar, seen by some as Protestant propaganda. On February 3, 1925, Kvale and his son Paul met with Treasury officials, bringing a draft bill authorizing the Bureau of the Mint to strike commemorative medals for the anniversary. Acting Mint Director Mary M. O'Reilly and Treasury Undersecretary Garrad Winston were dubious about the idea of striking silver medals that would be between the quarter and half dollar in size. Paul Kvale suggested making the medal octagonal or hexagonal. O'Reilly and Winston favored the idea, and, after Congressman Kvale met with legal counsel to the Treasury and with other officials, he was assured of the department's full support. Kvale also successfully lobbied the Post Office Department for the issuance of commemorative stamps; he told Third Assistant Postmaster General Warren I. Glover that, in a broader sense, the medal recognized the North American explorations of the Vikings around the year 1000. Kvale declared that in seeking the souvenir medal and stamps, he was contributing to the "growth of the Norwegian heritage by having it 'preserved in metal' as well as 'paper time capsules'." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Norse-American medal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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