Another nice token that I recently picked up. The 19th President of the United States. He was inaugurated on March 5, 1877.
What's the diameter of your "token"? The reason I ask is that the originals (1877-1951) are 3.25 inches in diameter. I don't know when a token becomes a medal, but I think of a token as something smaller...with some sort of utilitarian purpose. https://ehive.com/collections/4405/objects/393514/rutherford-b-hayes-inaugural-medal
This small medal or "medalet" is part of the "United States Mint Medals of the Presidents" set. They are reduced sized copies of the large presidential medals that have been issued since the 19th century. The diameter is 33 mm. The full sized medals were 3 inches in diameter. The mint sold the entire set of these medals in the 1980s. The marked holes in my album end with Ronald Reagan. Since then the mint has offered the subsequent presidents, with the Trump pieces unveiled recently. Most of the earlier presidential medals cannot be acquired from the mint now. Here is the front of the album and one of the pages.
The Mint continued to sell these sets into the 21st century. I bought the complete set (through Clinton) about 2005, but the smaller medals are listed as 1-5/16". - Edited -
That's what I was thinking...I have a number of these, too (large and small), but never completed the set...Congrats! I think time will show that edited
Here is an 1876 presidential election medalet from the Hays campaign. This piece is scarce. The country was sill feeling the effects of the Panic of 1873 and the economy was weak. Hays' running mate, William Wheeler, is on the reverse.
Some are nicer than others. The mint didn't pay attention to die wear when they were making these pieces, and they were not careful when the handled them after striking. Marks and weak spots in the designs are not unusual. Here is a late 19th century 3 inch medal with the mahogany finish for Benjamin Harrison. These 19th century strikes are really beautiful, and I have thought about putting together a set of them. The trouble is only a few dealers and auction houses handle them, and the prices have gone up in recent years. I should also add that the mintages for the 19th century mahogany often fall below 200 pieces. The modern "yellow bronze" medals are more common and not nearly as nice. Here is the small sized version.
We often hear it said on these forums that one should collect any way that they wish. So, this is my wish.
As much as I loathe certain politicians from the past and present (you can figure out who I'm referring to yourself), I cannot leave an album slot unfilled, especially if it's a common piece.
I have a collection of inaugural medals that runs from 1892 to 1964. After that it gets spotty. There are some presidents, Democrat and Republican, I don’t want. Therefore they are not in the collection and probably will never get there.
I have the Lincoln one. I bought the FDR one just the other day waiting for it to ship. I also have a Bobby Kennedy medal.
I already have that figured out. One of the other 1-5/16" bronze medals that I have is the White House. - Edited -
I fail to understand how a person can call themselves a collector and then be selective in what to add to that collection just because of how they fell about someone. If you don't collect every coin, medal or whatever that goes with that series, it's incomplete as a collect goes.