Quick Facts

1974 Gerald R. Ford
Official Inaugural Medal

Designer (Obverse):
Mico Kaufman (1924-????)

Designer (Reverse):
Frank Eliscu (1912-????)

Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

  * Dusterberg, Richard B.; The Official Inaugural Medals of the Presidents of the United States ; Cincinnati, Ohio; Medallion Press; 1971

** MacNeil, Neil; The President's Medal 1789 - 1977; New York, New York; Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. /Publisher in association with the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian; 1977

** Levine, H. Joseph; Collectors Guide * Presidential Inaugural Medals and Memorabilia; Danbury, Connecticut; Johnson & Jensen; 1981

** Note: The Dusterberg book published in 1971 ends with the 1969 Nixon Inaugural Medal however the numbering scheme was continued in Levine's book.

Commentary

Gerald R. Ford
Thirty-eighth President of the United States

Related Inaugural Items

Gerald R. Ford
1974 Official Inaugural Medal

Bronze Process Set Eighteen 70mm (2.75 inch) Uni-face Medals Nine Obverse/Nine Reverse Sets Produced / Known: 2

* Only one mounted set is actually known as H. Joseph Levine explained on lot 334 in his Presidential Coin & Antique Company auction catalog The Charles McSorley Collection of Nineteenth Century Political Campaign Tokens - Part II (July 10 & 11, 1998): "Process sets were available only to a few select MACO customers. We are not aware of any two-sided sets, but do know of two sets of 16 medals each; 8 of the obverse and 8 of the reverse. This is the only mounted 8 piece set known to us."

Contenders

Gerald R. Ford
Thirty-eighth President of the United States

Each inaugural medal committee handles the selection of the official inaugural medal a little differently than the next. Some choose a prominent artist and commission their services to design a medal while others solicit design proposal from multiple artists or medalists. The committee along with the president-elect then chooses the "winner" to become the official inaugural medal. The mints that strike the "contenders" not chosen sometimes go ahead and produce the medal as an unofficial inaugural medal. These are the medals illustrated in this section.

Art Medals Incorporated Unofficial Inaugural Medal Designer (Obverse/Reverse): Ed DeWitt Varieties Struck: 63mm (2.5 inch) "high-relief" bronze Interesting Notes:  This medal was a proposed official inaugural medal design for Gerald R. Ford's 1974 inauguration. It was designed by Ed DeWitt and struck by Art Medals Incorporated (AMI). The Official Inaugural Medals Committee in favor of one designed by Mico Kaufman and struck by the Medallic Art Company ultimately rejected this medal. However, the medal itself was struck and marketed commercially by Art Medals Incorporated (AMI) as an unofficial inaugural medal.

Pretenders

Gerald R. Ford
Thirty-eighth President of the United States

There are many individual medals and presidential medal series, which are quite well done and very collectable in their own right, that are often mistaken for or misattributed as "official" inaugural medals. This phenomenon can be seen readily in the descriptions of many of these medals when they appear in online auctions. The official medal, illustrated above, should match the auction item exactly before warranting a bid at official medal prices. Great, now we know the lot is misattributed but what is it? This section will illustrate some of these medals to help new collectors distinguish between the "official" and "unofficial" and to introduce all collectors to these interesting medals. Hopefully, some will be spared the expensive lessons I have seen so many unaware collectors make in online auctions and others will be inspired to expand their collecting interests to include these medals.

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United States Mint Presidential Series Stock Medal # 140 3 inch (76mm) "High-Relief" Bronze Designer (Obverse/Reverse): Frank Gasparro / Matthew Peloso Other Sizes Struck: Stock Medal # 740 1-5/16 inch "coin-relief" bronze Interesting Notes: Pretender Identification Tip:

Select Another "United States Mint Presidential Series" Medal to view U.S. Mint Series - William McKinley, Memorial Reverse U.S. Mint Series - Theodore Roosevelt, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Theodore Roosevelt, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - William Howard Taft U.S. Mint Series - Woodrow Wilson, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Woodrow Wilson, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - Warren G. Harding, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Warren G. Harding, Memorial Reverse U.S. Mint Series - Calvin Coolidge, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Calvin Coolidge, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - Herbert Hoover U.S. Mint Series - Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Third Term U.S. Mint Series - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fourth Term U.S. Mint Series - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Memorial Reverse 1U.S. Mint Series - Harry S. Truman, First Term 1U.S. Mint Series - Harry S. Truman, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - Dwight D. Eisenhower, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - John F. Kennedy U.S. Mint Series - Lyndon B. Johnson, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Lyndon B. Johnson, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - Richard M. Nixon, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Richard M. Nixon, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - Gerald R. Ford U.S. Mint Series - Jimmy Carter U.S. Mint Series - Ronald Reagan, First Term U.S. Mint Series - Ronald Reagan, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - George Bush U.S. Mint Series - William Jefferson Clinton, First Term U.S. Mint Series - William Jefferson Clinton, Second Term U.S. Mint Series - George W. Bush

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Issue Specific Bibliography

1974 Gerald R. Ford Inaugural

•  --------- ; Official Ford Inaugural Medal; The Numismatist, American Numismatic Association, Colorado Springs, CO; Volume 87 Number 11, 1974, November, page 2311; illus.
•  --------- ; Reverse for Ford Inaugural Medal; The Numismatist, American Numismatic Association, Colorado Springs, CO; Volume 87 Number 12, 1974, December, page 2529; illus.
•  --------- ; Medallic Art Strikes Gold Ford Inaugural Medal; The Numismatist, American Numismatic Association, Colorado Springs, CO; Volume 88 Number 2, 1975, February, page 289; illus.
•  --------- ; U.S. Numisnews: Inaugural Medal - Bird of Hope ; Coins Magazine, Krause Publications,Inc., Iola, Wisconsin; Volume 22 Number 2, 1975, February, page 32; illus.
•  --------- ; New Medal Issues: V for Victory ; Coins Magazine, Krause Publications,Inc., Iola, Wisconsin; Volume 22 Number 2, 1975, February, page 134; illus.
•  --------- ; U.S. Numisnews: Gold - Passing the Bars ; Coins Magazine, Krause Publications,Inc., Iola, Wisconsin; Volume 22 Number 2, 1975, February, page 134; illus.
• Reiter, Ed; Portrait of a President ; COINage, Behn-Miller Publications Inc., Encino, California; Volume 11 Number 1, 1975, January, page 64; illus.
• Advertisement; The Official Presidential Inaugural Medal ; Coins Magazine, Krause Publications,Inc., Iola, Wisconsin; Volume 21 Number 12, 1974, December, page 135; illus.
• Advertisement; The Official Presidential Inaugural Medal ; COINage, Behn-Miller Publications Inc., Encino, California; Volume 10 Number 12, 1974, December, page 19; illus.
• Advertisement; Historic Appreciation - Collect Official Inaugural Medal for Pleasure and Profit ; COINage, Behn-Miller Publications Inc., Encino, California; Volume 11 Number 1, 1975, January, page 115; illus.