1856 San Francisco Vigilance Committee Medal. Silver. 36.5 mm. 27.9 grams. Membership Number 1847. Bold Very Fine, Edge Bumps.；<strong>Obv:</strong> Justice standing clothed in robes and holding a sword and balance scale, but without her customary blindfold. Around the border is the legend BE JUST AND FEAR NOT. FIAT JUSTITIA RUAT COELUM (Let justice be done through Heaven). In exergue below the pedestal is the inscription SAN FRANCISCO / CALIFORNIA, and to the left of Justice, directly on the pedestal, is the makers name, V & G., for Vachon and Gihon, whose firm had been producing medals for the city government since at least 1850. <strong>Rev:</strong> The all-seeing eye at the center, surrounded by the title of the organization, COMMITTEE OF VIGILANCE. Around the outer periphery appears the legend ORGANIZED 9th JUNE 1851. REORGANIZED 14th MAY 1856. At the bottom is a cartouche where the membership number was to be stamped -- in this case 1847. All elements of the design are clear and bold, with only a single scratch to the left of Justice marring the fields, but the edge and rim are extensively damaged with numerous bumps and dents around the entire circumference. The high rims are pushed inward in several areas, giving the entire medal a slightly out-of-round appearance, and the loop at the top is somewhat flattened, but both of these problems can probably be lessened with the services of a skillful jeweler.<p>The Committee of Vigilance was formed out of necessity when the citizens of San Francisco realized the job of keeping law and order was beyond the small San Francisco Police Departments ability as the towns population rapidly grew due to the sudden influx of "Forty-Niners." The local police were ill-equipped to deal with the burgeoning population, which rose from 850 in 1848 to 25,000 by the end of the following year. In the decade to follow, that population would double from that level as the city matured. As the city grew, so did the problems as more and more neer-do-wells and men of nefarious nature chose to stay in town and mine their gold through criminal acts instead of from the ground. Groups of citizens concerned with rampant lawlessness formed the Committee of Vigilance during two brief periods in 1850 and 1856, each time disbanding in a matter of months after accomplishing their goals. During the earlier incarnation, there were about 700 members who claimed to operate in parallel to, as well as in defiance of, the duly constituted city government (which many members thought was filled with as many criminals as were on the streets). After the reorganization in 1856, drawing upon a much larger base population, the membership quickly swelled to as many as 6,000 individuals. Each member received an ornately engraved membership certificate, survivors of which are eagerly sought in todays antique market. An optional silver membership medal, engraved with the owners membership number, was also available for those who wanted to carry around a physical reminder of their affiliation. Few of these were ordered, and fewer still have survived. Even counting this piece, less than a dozen numbered specimens have been recorded, and that small number is actually bolstered by some examples which are counted only because they were illustrated in period publications, and whose location -- if they still exist -- cannot now be determined. This specimen, not previously tabulated, is a rare and historic reminder of San Franciscos turbulent past.；
