This very rare Colonial Western Airways bronze medal was given out on December 17th, 1927 with a NICE relief map. This bronze commemorative medal was presented to passengers on the first flight from Buffalo to Cleveland which just so happens to be the first passenger flight ever by the airlines!
CWA company name existed through late 1929, at which point it merged with some other airlines and became American Airlines.
The medal is 3 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high. The front side has a beautiful relief map of the airlines' route, showing Ohio, New York and Canada. There is also a quote, a paraphrase of Tennyson: "costly bales through purple skies".
The back of the medal has the Colonial logo and the inscription: "Presented to the First Passengers Carried by the Colonial Western Airways, Inc. BUFFALO-CLEVELAND December 17, 1927" It is also stamped "Robbins Co Attleboro" on the bottom edge.
**There is a full write up of it at the Air and Space Museum website with a picture that looks idential to mine.** Please see the link.
http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19640347000
