I had forgotten about this. I have found the 1985 but not an '81. Any thoughts on possible value? TIA
(also- as far as I remember it has never been out of the case but I see tarnish or some reaction in 3 spots - anything I can/should do to address it?)
Medals from the Franklin Mint are notorious for being worth far less than their original sales price. The gold is probably thinner than a human hair. At least it is .925 silver. The value of the silver is probably more than you would get for it if you sold it......unless you find a bidiot. Chris
Here is the official Inaugural Medal for President Reagan's first term. https://officialinauguralmedal.com/...n-1981-official-presidential-inaugural-medal/
Thanks, It's from the franklin mint - I know its nothing "Official" and only said "Medal" because thats what it says. I'm sure its not a high value item but only melt? Its not like its Carter. Any thoughts on the tarnish?
Unfortunately these pieces have very little value, even if they are nice. The demand for modern, official inaugural medals in bronze, is limited. For ancillary pieces like this, it is even less. For gold and sometimes silver official inaugural pieces, the interest is higher, but it is on a case by case basis. For example the value of the Kennedy inaugural medal in silver is tied to the silver bullion value because the number of pieces issued was high relative to demand.
I didn't order it at issue - I think it was a coin / gun show buy maybe $20/$30 but I really am not sure. 1981 is a key year for me. The tarnish bugs me almost as much as it being set cockeyed...I will straighten it up. Should I try acitone while its out of the case?
So, they anticipate high demand for a more popular President - they make more of them & the oversupply hurts value. That makes sence...a Carter could be worth more than a Regan because they made fewer of them
Found an auction: https://www.ebth.com/items/10058043...residential-inaugural-eyewitness-silver-medal Not the exact one but at least now I have an idea
Not necessarily. The Kennedy silver inaugural medal is less expensive because the inaugural committee made a strong effort to sell them. Prior to then, the silver medals had been made in very small quantities and sometimes only given to second echelon inauguration offices. The top guy got a gold medal, along with the president and vice president. The next level of officials got silver. For example, in 1941 and ’45, only two silver medals were issued for FDR. For Truman in ’49 there were nine. For Eisenhower the number went up to 813 in ’53 and 1,000 in ’57. The Kennedy silver medal hit 7,500 in ’61, which has proven to be an oversupply. Here is the Kennedy medal in bronze. The mintage 53,331. That is quite high for an inaugural medal.
To address your question about a acetone soak, no, I don't think it would help. The way I understand it from reading about it, the marks happen when silver contamination is on the surface. Some say use a dip for silver, but it will leave a dull spot. I personally would just leave them as is.
Thanks @Mountain Man - I'm inclined to try something, but I don't want to make it worse. I guess the best thing is to just straighten it up & hope it doesn't spread