The Size of Things 1 (Personal)

One of the things that surprised me the most about my medallions when I started entering them into competition was the question of 'but why did you make them this size?'

I mean, seriously, where did that question come from? 

And, if people really want to know how I choose the size of my medallions, I'll lay out what I have for you. 

For my first ever competition pieces, a made-on-site set of matching medallions for the Baronies of Bonwicke and Eldern Hills, the reason I chose the size I did was because I was a herald and I knew how to get people's attention.

(Armory) heraldry = BIG, BOLD, and BUTCH. 

I got the biggest blank I could pull out of my kit at the time and went to town on it. I wanted something that when I handed it to someone, their eyes went wide as saucers, and their jaws fell to the floor. No other reason. No subtlety. No deep psychological motive. My whole driving motivation behind that size of medallion was "mine is bigger", full stop. 

The "Bonwicke" side of my
Two Artisans, Two Bards medallion model. 

1.6" Diameter.

Note: I didn't win that competition, but I did have an outrageous amount of fun, and I definately made people's jaws fall open when I gifted them to the nobles at the end of the day. 

Photo from 2023 Two Artisans, Two Bards
of me casting my A&S entry on site. 
(photo by Jessi Rumsey)

So, sure, that's one point of data. But what about my other casings? For my Principality medallions, I already had experience with that size, so I just sort of ran with it.  

The model for my first set of Principality medallions. 
Romanius & Dianna I

1.56" Diameter 

Again, I need something hefty, and 'substantial', but at the same time, these are intended as largess for the prince and princess to hand out. Giving someone a pewter medallion the size of a dinner plate would actually be counterproductive. Not only could it be too unwieldy to be pocketed conveniently, but on a much more serious note, something that big runs the risk of looking like its trying to be more important than actual awards that the royalty also give out. 

And that second part isn't a minor consideration, either. While we can quantify and measure things like rank and precedence, prestige is a much, much more fluid concept. Its more emotional than logical, and since art is largely meant to engage human emotions, I really need to be cognizant of how those medallions looks when lined up against other awards given out. 

And size is one of the best starting points for that. It wasn't that I ran numbers or did any calculations, but I looked at the circle patterns I had, then looked at the awards I had, and tried to pick a size that 'fit in' with my other medallions. 

Royal commission for TRM Jean Paul and Gillian III

1.56" Diameter

So, I had my 'first' competition medallion as one point of data, and then I had my principality medallions as... a whole string of data points after that. 

Then what?

I made a set of three medallions for the royal Gift basket going to Artemisia, and because these were supposed to be "impressive" I went for a larger size. 

Also, while not necessarily germane to the post, this was the first medallion where I put a large amount of time into layout and letter spacing, and used circumferencial lettering.

Artemisia Gift Medallion, March 2024

2.24" Diameter

Medallion 'Face' for reference. 

It should be noted that at the time, two and a quarter inches was the largest I could cast because of  the available size of my largest casting frame. Also, making a medallion that size was also challenging in that frame as there wasn't enough sand to properly protect the wood at the edges. It wasn't undoable, but it was challenging. 

As something of a radical aside, My smallest sand cast medallion was a Sable Swap set of largess Medallions for Gustavo our of Bonwicke. I wasn't going for "cute", but I think i hit the mark anyway. 

Personalized Largess Medallion
for Gustavo, 2024

0.95" Diameter

The next 'big' ones I did were for Wisenheimer Yule Revel. This was the competition where I was leaning hard not only into the art, but also the documentation, so I again went with a 'go big, or go home' attitude. 

Wisenheimer Yule, 2024 commemorative medallion model.

2,23" Diameter 

Just a week or so later, I gifted a medallions to the Steppes in commemoration of their 12th night event. By this point, my casting frame was fighting me, and actually doing a model on a two-and-a-quarter-inch blank was a lot of work, so I stepped back to just under 2 inches. 

Steppes 12th Night 2024 commemorative medallion

1.87" Diameter

Keeping in mind that these are not currency (in the SCA, or outside of it), and are likewise not that regulated, how big or small my next medallions will be is more a question tradition and politics than rules or regulation. So long as my castings help others to make the SCA a more enjoyable place, that is going to be  my guiding principle in how I choose my sizes.