Circle of Friends of the Medallion was formed by Charles DeKay, Robert Hewitt, Jr., and the French-American trio of Jules Edouard Roiné with brothers Felix and Henri Weil, all living in New York City.
Upon Roiné's passing in 1916, Felix and Henri Weil[4] operated the Medallic Art Company of New York.
[5][6] Numismatists estimate that the Circle of Friends issued "no more than 500 of any" medal in the series and each was presented in "tan cloth books.
[2] The Circle of Friends commissioned leading medalists of the time to create the series, with themes commemorating significant events, places or people.
[2] The Circle of Friends consisted of approximately 400 members, including several prominent individuals such as "inventor Alexander Graham Bell, financier J. Pierpont Morgan, U.S. Mint Director A. Piatt Andrew, two U.S. senators, well-known coin dealer Wayte Raymond and sculptors Flanagan, Brenner and Bela Lyon Pratt.