From the 1930's until the early 1980's the Medalist was made in the USA. In the 80's however, production was moved overseas & since then the quality of the reel is not nearly what it used to be. Collectors of these reels each seem to have their favorite era of production, but the golden age of the medalist seems to be from the 1940's through the 60's during which time many were made.
The only problem with the Medalist fly reel is the foot, which doesn't seem to properly fit any rod's reel seat you're likely to find. Fortunately, this problem has been solved by the One-Pfoot company that specializes in making replacement parts for vintage & new Pflueger Medalist reels. If you have one of these reels laying around & need to get it back in working order, these are the folks to talk to.
Of course Pflueger is a company with a very rich history & there could be volumes written about the history of all their products, the Medalist included. If you would like to learn more about the different Medalists through the years, or would like to try to identify when one was made, here is a very well written overview of the medalist production history. Also, check this out for another quick look at the Medalist
The Medalist is a workhorse of a reel with a great history that you can start your collecting adventures with because it won't break the bank to buy one, - yet. Collect them, use them, they're one of my favorite reels.