Interesting Franklin Mint Inaugural Prez Medal
savoyspecial
Posts: 7,328 ✭✭✭✭
Well, interesting from the standpoint of size - comes in at 70 mm diameter and weighs 466 grams. Edge mark reads "24kt" but XRF analysis is closer to 23kt. Would still put it over 14 troy ounces of actual gold. Four were minted in this size: serial #2 for Vice President Walter Mondale; serial #s 3 and 4 for Inaugural Committee Co-Chairs Vicki Rogers and Bardyl R. Tirana; and this one, serial #1, presented to President Carter by the Inaugural Committee
One of the few years that The Franklin Mint won the contract for "Official" inaugural medal.
Photos may not capture it, but the proof surfaces have some hairlines and abrasions
Apologies...I do not post here with the regularity I once did
www.brunkauctions.com
4
Comments
Very cool. A 14 oz gold Medal. Outstanding.
Successful BST with drddm, BustDMs, Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
I think I would trust the FM over your gizmo. They were professionals and had no reason to cheat on the fineness.
Especially if it’s being presented to the president.
i hear what you are saying but x-ray guns are not exactly gizmos either
I'm wondering why or how this Medal (only one of them minted?), made it from the Carter family to someone with an XRF gizmo, as if it was pawned off at some point.
I'm sure I'm missing something here.
copy a possibility? or did the person have auction records for provenance?
Per the OP there were four minted.
But how did #1, presented to Jimmy Carter, get out into the wild? 🤔
Not in the wild...not pawned...not a copy...we have it in an upcoming auction along with other Carter estate objects
www.brunkauctions.com
i suppose it has an online side... what's the url ?
Maybe it was Carter's idea... to stretch gold supplies -- Much the same as he suggested turning down thermostats and wearing sweaters at home during the winter.
can't escape the Carter part of the medal.
Can escape the carter political commentary. we all get along much better without the commentary plus it's against the rules
Franklin Mint items had the reputation of being slightly overweight in order to insure they met the guarantee of the amount of metal they contained. I doubt they would have overstated the karat content.
The Carter Family, the President and the First Lady, did a tremendous amount of good for Humanity in their lifetimes. Perhaps now that Mister Carter has left us, their family is selling some things of his for the further benefit of Humanity in general, and perhaps Habitat for Humanity in particular. I wish them well.
As do I. Well stated.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Julian Harris was the sculptor for this inaugural medal. He was a fairly well-known Southern regional sculptor and his work dates back to the 1930s and exhibits an Art-Deco influence. Medallic Arts had a competing Inaugural Medal set for both Carter and Mondale which is also impressive. In all fairness to Harris, one has to see more of his work to appreciate his brilliance.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
The good Captain is spot on here, as usual. I'm having fun going through the many peanut and fly-fishing related objects as well, for what it is worth.
www.brunkauctions.com
Will you be auctioning off flies that he made? I tried to ask his office for one once, but was politely declined. 😃 🎣
This is a Carter Warehouse receipt signed by Jimmy Carter that I picked up several years ago.
These hit the market some years ago, and I suspect they came from another source since they were processed/cancelled. But I wonder if anything similar is among the things being auctioned off.
Sometimes the actual individual and/or family members are a bit leery of things like that. My stepdaughter went to Purdue (Neil Armstrong’s college) and took a book for Buzz Aldrin to try and get signed for me when he was there doing a guest lecture. He was actually rude to her and said he wouldn’t sign it because he knew she’d go put it on eBay. She was a bit miffed, especially since I had a nice collection of autographs that it would join…..nine of the 12 moonwalkers…. Getting moonwalker Charlie Duke’s autograph was easy as he has signed several inserts for PCGS Ike $1’s. At least you were ‘politely declined…’ 😉