Vintage Alex Shagin Sterling silver religious decorative medallion. Titled as "One Minute of Eternity" this silver piece was struck to commemorate the Challenger space shuttle medal. When the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger (OV-099) (mission STS-51-L) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members, which included five NASA astronauts and two Payload Specialists. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 EST on January 28th 1986.

This sterling medal depicts a hand being held to a face in grief on one side. On the obverse it depicts two astrological figures floating around the earth in space.

Marked on side: Sterling
Writing on front: One Minute to Eternity 11:39 1.28.86

Purchased recently at auction along with several other medallions all made by Alex Shagin.

Shagin, born near Leningrad on 1947, graduated from the Vera Mukhina School of Arts and Design in Leningrad in 1972, and then designed commemorative coins and medallions for the Leningrad Mint. Peter the Great, Michelangelo, Apollo-Soyuz and the Moscow Olympics are but a few of his designs. He emigrated to the United States, and since 1980, has worked as a freelance medallic artist in Southern California.

He has works in museums and private collections around the world, including the Hermitage Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, Yad Vashem Museum, the British Museum and the Swedish Royal Medallic Collection. In 2002, as First Vice President of the American Medallic Sculpture Association (A.M.S.A.) he participated in the Federation Internationale de le Medaille (F.I.D.E.M.) congress by designing a special presentation medal for the American Delegation—The Medal of Liberty presented to twelve individuals by Ronald Reagan in 1986 ~ ref: Wikipedia

A stunning collectible piece of art for your vintage home decor or housewarming gift idea.

MEASUREMENTS

Medal measures 2.25" diameter by 0.5" deep and weighs 4.4oz.

CONDITION

In good condition considering age and use - please see all pictures as they form part of the description.

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