Information please about President Garfield medals

[rons]

On a lark, I picked up this Garfield medal at an auction this week. My questions are: Were these common issues for each President? Are they common? Is there any market for these kinds of medals and if so where might I find information. Thanks for any input

 

 

 

 

[Coindude]

This sounds like a job for Mr. Superhero Bill Jones!! I'm sure you'll get an answer here Mr. Ron.

[rons]

I believe you are correct perhaps a pm would have been a better option but why not share the wealth?

[BillJones]

First, I don't think that the medal and the box were sold together originally. The box is from the 1876 Centennial celebration that was held in Philadelphia. That celebration had been closed for at least four years when the medal was struck. The medal was made after Garfield died from his wounds after he was assassinated in 1881. Therefore the medal could not have been sold in that box. If it was sold in that box it would have been a matter of convenience, not design.

 

The obverse die for the medal was made by mint engraver George T. Morgan (of Morgan dollar fame), and it was first used to mark Garfield’s inauguration in March 1881. It was used here for piece that marked his death and paired with a new reverse. The inauguration piece is listed in Sullivan / DeWitt as JG 1880-1. That piece has a view of the U.S. Capital on the reverse.

 

I don’t collect “death medals.” My interest runs to campaign pieces and sometimes inauguration pieces. Your piece appears to be made of white medal, not silver. As such I would not think that it is especially valuable, but then again this is not an area of my collecting interest or expertise when it comes to the market for such items.

 

[rons]

Bill, Thank you for weighing in with your knowledge. I noticed the date discrepancy and was perplexed but your explanation makes sense. It is not silver but a pot metal of some kind. I picked it up for $10 as no one else entered a bid and I thought it was just neat. How cool to find a connection with George Morgan So much to learn and so little time. Thanks again Bill for sharing your knowledge and insights.

[Bugmann1974]

As bill noted it is a metal called white metal.

 

I can't imagine that $10 was a bad price for that at all! How big is it?

[ldhair]

Nice piece. Just the box is really cool to me.

[BillJones]

How big is it?

 

The diameter should be 38 mm, which is the size of the Garfield inaugural medal. The original Garfield medal was struck only in white metal according to Sullivan - DeWitt.

 

BTW you can't go wrong on that piece at $10.