Official Presidential Inaugural Medals

The tradition of the Inaugural Committee with the consent of the newly elected president to issue an official inaugural medal began in 1901 with the second inauguration of William McKinley. Mintages were quite low for the medals prior to the 1949 inauguration of Harry S. Truman making them much more difficult and expensive to obtain. The popularity of the inaugural medal increased dramatically in 1961 with the inauguration of John F. Kennedy and mintage figures have been increasing ever since. Two vice-presidents have also been honored with medals issued for their swearing-in ceremonies - Gerald Ford in 1973 and Nelson Rockefeller in 1974. Selected medals are pictured below.

 

Presidental Inaugural Medals
Obverse Image Description Reverse Image
1949
Harry S. Truman
Designer:
C. Paul Jennewein
Medalist:
United States Mint

Mintages
Silver (51mm) ........9
Bronze (51mm) ...7,500
1953
   Dwight David Eisenhower   
Designer:
Walker Hancock
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (70mm) ......782
Bronze (70mm) ..25,685
1957
Dwight David Eisenhower
Designer:
Walker Hancock
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (70mm) ....1,031
Bronze (70mm) ..21,705
1961
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Designer:
Paul Manship
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (70mm) ....7,500
Bronze (70mm) ..53,331
1965
Lyndon Baines Johnson
Designer:
Felix de Weldon
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (64mm) ....7,695
Bronze (70mm) ..26,275
1969
Richard Milhous Nixon
Designer:
Ralph J. Menconi
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (64mm) ....15,000
Bronze (70mm) ..78,529
1973
Richard Milhous Nixon
Designer:
Gilroy Roberts
Medalist:
The Franklin Mint

Mintages
Antique Silver (63mm) ....6,860
Proof Silver (63mm) ...16,302
Antique Bronze (70mm) ..56,574
Proof Bronze (70mm) ..49,789
1974
Gerald R. Ford
Designer:
Mico Kaufman
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Gold (32mm) ...1,551
Vermeil (63mm) ...2,075
Antique Silver (63mm) ....2,233
Proof Silver (63mm) ....3,247
Antique Bronze (70mm) ..13,664
1977
Jimmy Carter
Designer:
Julian Hoke Harris
Medalist:
The Franklin Mint

Mintages
Antique Silver (63mm) ....1,918
Proof Silver (63mm) ....6,229
Antique Bronze (70mm) ..29,801
Proof Bronze (70mm) ..21,621
1981
Ronald Reagan
Designer:
Edward J. Fraughton
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Gold [14k] (32mm) ...1,381
Silver (63mm) ...4,074
Bronze (70mm) ...16,850
Copper (38mm) ...33,130
1985
Ronald Reagan
Designer:
Mico Kaufman
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (63mm) ....unk
Bronze (70mm) ..unk
1989
George Bush
Designer:
Mico Kaufman
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Gold [14k] (32mm) ...86
Silver (63mm) ....452
Silver (38mm) ...unk
Bronze (70mm) ...6,884
Bronze (38mm) ...unk
5 Piece Sets ...123
1993
William Jefferson Clinton
Designer:
Jesse Wallace Corsault
Medalist:
Hoffman & Hoffman
Carmel, California

Mintages
Silver (63mm) ....661
Bronze (70mm) ...13,828
3 Piece Sets w/Gold ...307
1997
William Jefferson Clinton
Designer:
Don Everhart II
Medalist:
Medallic Art Company

Mintages
Silver (63mm) ....1,750
Bronze (70mm) ...18,000
Individual Gold ...110
3 Piece Sets ...100
2001
George W. Bush
Designer:
Charles L. Vickers
Medalist:
Medalcraft Mint,
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mintages
Silver (70mm) ....5,000 limit
Bronze (70mm) ..unk
Bronze (38mm) ..unk
3 Piece Sets w/Gold ...500 limit

 

ã Copyright David W. Boitnott 2000