This is an exact duplicate of the medallion made and presented by Oriol Jewelry Manufacturing Corporation to the wife of Project Mercury astronaut, John Glenn. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn made history when in his Friendship 7 capsule he became the first American to orbit the earth. It was the third human spaceflight in the Project Mercury program. The medallion became a part of the National Collection in 1963.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.