(1925) Medal Calvin Coolidge Inauguration 70mm Medallic Art Co. NY SP(PCGS#76636)

March 2020 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

82

等级

SP63

价格

67,781

详细说明

Rare 1925 Coolidge Inaugural Medal in Bronze 1925 Calvin Coolidge Inaugural Medal. Bronze. 70 mm. Dusterberg CIM-B70, MacNeil CC-1925-3. Specimen-63 (PCGS). Struck by Medallic Art Company, New York, with their mark visible on the edge at 6 o'clock. This is a lovely specimen with a tinge of pale olive to otherwise golden-bronze patina. The surfaces show a fine, satiny texture, along with traces of die polish in the fields. Sharply struck and blemish free apart from a few faint carbon spots on the obverse that we mention solely for accuracy. An original and incredibly attractive survivor from this elusive issue. While the classic 1905 Theodore Roosevelt inaugural medal designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens is certainly the most famous and popular medal of the series (see our offering above in this sale), it is by no means the rarest. Those who seek these historic medals know very well how challenging the Coolidge medal is. In fact, it is the second rarest of the entire 20th century series of bronze inaugural medals, following closely behind that issued for Warren G. Harding in 1921. Just 75 Coolidge medals were struck in bronze, along with two in silver and three in gold. This bronze mintage is 50 pieces fewer than were produced of the Roosevelt medal, although the nature of the Roosevelt presidency and his great popularity may have caused his medals to be better cared for by their owners. Coolidge did not enjoy such popularity and it is likely that a larger portion of his medals have been lost. Many years can pass between offerings of Coolidge inaugurals, though we have had the good fortune to be able to present three of these rarities over the past six years. Incredibly, our most recent offering prior to the present sale was in our November 2019 Baltimore Auction where the PCGS Specimen-63 from the Edmund W. Dreyfuss Collection realized $11,400. The example in our March 2016 sale which brought $7,637 was graded Choice AU. Prior to that, we had not sold once since our March 2014 sale of the Charles A. Wharton Collection, an earlier appearance of the present specimen. We are delighted to once again be offering this piece, here alongside the 1905 Theodore Roosevelt inaugural rarity presented above, and we expect that the most advanced collectors of this series will be paying careful attention. Provenance: From our sale of the Charles A. Wharton Collection, March 2014 Baltimore Auction, lot 2343. Earlier ex Rossa and Tanenbaum. Click here for certification details from PCGS.