Mint PR: "President Obama Receives Bronze Medals Emblemizing Each Term in Office"
Goldbully
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Term 1
Term 2
I actually like the portraits.
January 17, 2017
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama today received official bronze medals depicting each of his two terms in office. During a brief ceremony in the Oval Office, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin and U.S. Mint Principal Deputy Director Rhett Jeppson presented medals featuring the president's portrait on the obverse (heads side) and portions of memorable speeches delivered during his presidency on the reverse side.
"It has been a privilege to serve President Obama over these last eight years and to have witnessed his leadership up close," Secretary Lew said. "His historic presidency has improved the lives of millions of Americans and the medals presented today are just one way that his legacy will be honored."
Presidential medals represent a custom of honoring each president of the United States with an official medal for each term in office. Presidents who serve more than one term are traditionally honored with two medals, one highlighting each of their terms. Since the 1960s, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, all presidents who served more than one term have received two medals. Each medal measures three inches in diameter and weighs approximately nine ounces.
"The medals presented to President Obama ensure that a long-standing tradition of honoring our presidents remains unbroken," said Jeppson. "Designed, sculpted and struck by the men and women of the U.S. Mint, the medals institutionalize his legacy in a tangible and historical form alongside those leaders who preceded him--from Washington to present."
Also participating in the ceremony were Elisa Basnight, Chief of Staff of the Mint; Don Everhart, lead sculptor of the Mint; and Phebe Hemphill, Mint medallic artist. Everhart sculpted the reverse of the first term medal and designed and sculpted both the obverse and reverse of the medal honoring the president's second term. Hemphill sculpted the obverse of the first term medal.
As with other presidential medals, bronze replicas are available to the public. For more information, please visit www.usmint.gov.
https://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index1848.html?action=press_release&id=1848
Comments
Very nice. Thanks for the heads up. I really like the second term medal and think it fits well with past medals.
If anyone is interested in acquiring the bronze replicas (4 SKUs available), they're listed on the US Mint website
Pass!
I like that they show him aging in office: young no wrinkles in first medal and the second with an older weathered portrait. I have medals of presidents during my lifetime. It's a small collection.
What did the artist try to achieve in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Medal?
Not interested.
Very nice! I will buy one of each!
interesting the quote about "we" being a powerful word. Not surprised at all of course. Interestingly, I just finished (re)reading Ayn Rand's "Anthem"
The most powerful word is "I"
"we" is the most power-draining
I will say, the image is a very good likeness... most (not all) coin/medal images are sadly lacking in true likeness of the subject. Cheers, RickO
The portraits on both medals, while very standard from a sculptural standpoint, are well executed. I wish the style of the portraits had not been so standard on at least one of the medals.