A 1901 McKinley Inaugural Medal - Can't beat that mahogany finish!

[BillJones]

 

I have been looking for this medal for a while. With a mintage of about 4,000 pieces and limited collector base, this medal is not that tough. The trouble is most dealers don't carry this type of material, and there have been probably more than few pieces that have gotten a rub or some cleaning abuse.

 

I ordered this one with some reservations. The photo made it look a little green, which often not a good sign. Still it was from a reliable dealer who described it as "Uncirculated" so I took the plunge. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be nice piece with wonderful mahogany finish which fell out of the favor in the very early 1900s. The mahogany finish was replaced with the sandblasted "yellow bronze" finish, and medals have never been the same since then. It is my believe that this change in appearance has reduced collector interest and demand for this area of numismatics.

 

William McKinley has been called a transition president. Although his political roots were deeply in the 19th century, McKinley did begin the process of pulling the White House into the 20th century. For example McKinley was the first establish a pressroom in the White House for newspaper reporters and actively sought to gain their favorable comments. When the Spanish-American War broke out McKinley organized a war room to monitor the conflict. When peace came he actively negotiated the peace settlement despite the complaints of some members of Congress. After the Civil War the office of the presidency had lost influence while the Congress gained more power. McKinley reversed that trend.

 

Finally McKinley stood firm on the issue of easy money and "free silver." Although McKinley had once been an advocate of the bi-metallic system, he changed course as a president candidate and stood for the Gold Standard against William Jennings Bryan. In my view one of the government's most important functions to provide a steady, reliable monetary system that goes with the economy to keep things moving, but resists the easy answer of increasing the money supply, which can result in massive inflation and financial ruin.

 

McKinley was assassinated in September 1901 by an anarchist who in that day was the equivalent of the modern Islamic extremist. His death was moaned by millions of American citizens, but his replacement, Theodore Roosevelt, would expand the modern presidency with it American prestige and power to greater heights. Today McKinley is rated as an average president, but in some ways his presidency was a good deal more significant than the "average" label infers.

 

[BODIN]

LOVE THE MEDAL BILL! I'm heavily involved in the Official Inaugural Medals....yes, even the modern ones.

I do wish they would go back to mahogany as well.

 

I have to say though, Czolgosz(McKinley's assassin) was Michigan born from Polish Catholic immigrants from Prussia. They were Roman Catholics, which Czolgosz found himself pushing away from. Czolgosz assassinated McKinley because he believed he was helping the "average American" because the rich were getting richer from the poor getting poorer.

I only say this, because I didn't think it sounded like a "modern Islamic extremist".

 

Would love to see more of your collection of OIMs. Here's my McKinley.

 

[cpm9ball]

That is an absolutely gorgeous medal, Bill. What is the diameter?

 

Thanks for posting it!

 

Chris

[BLive1972]

Good post, and congrats A really nice medal & history lesson.

[BillJones]

That is an absolutely gorgeous medal, Bill. What is the diameter?

 

Thanks for posting it!

 

Chris

 

It is 44mm in diameter ... not that big.

[BillJones]

I have to say though, Czolgosz(McKinley's assassin) was Michigan born from Polish Catholic immigrants from Prussia. They were Roman Catholics, which Czolgosz found himself pushing away from. Czolgosz assassinated McKinley because he believed he was helping the "average American" because the rich were getting richer from the poor getting poorer.

I only say this, because I didn't think it sounded like a "modern Islamic extremist".

 

I beg to differ.

 

Czolgosz was a self-avowed anarchist who set out to murder the president for reasons allied with the movement. His exact quote was, "I killed President McKinley because I done my duty. I don't believe that one man should have so much service and another man should have none." He refused legal counsel because he did not acknowledge the right of the court system to try him for an murder that he confessed to committing. He was an anarchist though and though, and he was part of a movement that in its day was not that different from the Islamic extremists who now commit their atrocities.

 

The anarchist movement was responsible for many murders and bombings, more in Europe than in America. Their most spectacular atrocity was the September 16, 1920 bombing in the financial district of Wall Street at 12:01 PM. The bombing killed 38 and injured 143 others.

 

[johnny9434]

nice medal