Quick Facts

1973 Richard Milhous Nixon
Official Inaugural Medal

Designer:
Gilroy Roberts (1905-????)

Medalist:
Franklin Mint

  * 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

Richard Milhous Nixon
Thirty-seventh President of the United States

Related Inaugural Items

Richard Milhous Nixon
1973 Official Inaugural Medal

Official Medal Bronze Proof 70mm (2.75 inch) Mintage: 49,789

Official Medal Antique Silver (Average Weight 5.8 oz, .999 Fine) 63mm (2.5 inch) Mintage: 6,860

Official Medal Silver Proof (Average Weight 6.25 oz, .999 Fine) 63mm (2.5 inch) Mintage: 16,302

Contenders

Richard M. Nixon
Thirty-seventh 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.

Franklin Mint Design Array The Franklin Mint supplied trial strikes in both proof and traditional finishes in silver and bronze for six different designs from five different inhouse designers. There were two designs by Gilroy Roberts including the winning one. The picture below shows the six designs side by side. From left to right:  Gilroy Roberts' appoved design; Gilroy Roberts' second design concept; James Farrell's design; Harold Faulkner's design; Richard Baldwin's design; and Vincent Miller's design.

Pretenders

Richard Milhous Nixon
Thirty-seventh 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 # 139 Second Term 3 inch (76mm) "High-Relief" Bronze Designer (Obverse/Reverse): Frank Gasparro Other Sizes Struck: Stock Medal # 739 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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Presidential Art Medals "Presidents Series" Designer (Obverse / Reverse): Ralph J. Menconi Varieties Struck: 1-1/4 inch (32mm) "high-relief" Silver 1-1/4 inch (32mm) "high-relief" Bronze 3/4 inch (18.5mm) "high-relief" Silver 3/4 inch (18.5mm) "high-relief" Bronze In the early 1960s Presidential Art Medals, Inc. of Englewood, Ohio commissioned a series of very high relief art medals to honor the Presidents of the United States. They choose Ralph J. Menconi to design and sculpt the medals and Medallic Art Company to strike them. Menconi's exquisite work on this series earned him the nickname "sculptor of presidents." Interestingly the reverses of the 32mm medals accurately trace the evolution of the Presidential Seal. The smaller 18.5mm mini-medals use a common design with only the dates changing on their reverses.

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Issue Specific Bibliography

1973 Richard Milhous Nixon Inaugural

•  --------- ; Inaugurations True Commemorative Occasions for Silver, Bronze Medals; The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine; Hewitt Bros., Chicago, Illinios; Volume 39 Whole Number 444, 1973, January, page 140; illus.