1789 Washington Inaugural Coin/medal

I found another interesting old coin in the collection I received from my grandfather.

It is dated 1789. The peripheral lettering says: INAUGURATED NEW YORK APRIL 30. Underneath the lettering is the bust of George Washington, but there is no mention of his name on the coin.

The reverse side depicts the Brooklyn Bridge with the lettering above the bridge: NEW YORK - BROOKLYN
PROGRESS OF 100 YEARS

Beneath the bridge is the lettering:
THE EIGHTH WONDER

I dont know if this is a coin or a commemorative medal. It is slightly larger in diameter than a modern quarter. It is made of copper or bronze, and has a small hole punched in the top where it was strung together with several other old coins (1837 half-dollar; 1862 cent; 1859 cent; and 1870 dime...all with holes punched in the top of them, strung together).

I have googled the coin description all over the web, but have not found anything close that describes it.

Does anyone know what this coin is?

I know a picture would be helpful. I will post a picture soon, but my scanner is not currently working.

Thanks for your help.

 

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FYI - Regarding the other coins on the string...it is an 1870 3-cent piece (not a dime). I dont know why my grandfather punched holes in these coins and strung them together. It is possible that he determined they were of such inferior quality (or counterfeit) that he did not want them to get mixed in with the rest of the collection.

If they are real, and in fair shape, do they have any value, even though they have a hole?

 

Does it look something like http://books.google.com/books?id=YUu_xpKULl4C&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=1789+Washington+Inaugural%2BBrooklyn+Bridge&source=bl&ots=kANidDAPZA&sig=xHHV09T7prgzTsqivR2pZKNhJLI&hl=en&ei=GHdsS8DoMJGXtgeg7cX-BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=1789%20Washington%20Inaugural%2BBrooklyn%20Bridge&f=false

Go to numbers 7 - 9.

 

THANK YOU!

Number 9 is the winner...that is the medal I have.

Does it have any value? How would I find out?

Thanks again for answering my question and satisfying my curiosity.

 

I have been trying to do some research and see if I can find anything about it and unfortunately no luck on this end.

 

pics of 1789-1889 Wanshington Inaugural Centennial Medal

Thanks agan for your help. Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

 

That is a cool medal.

 

Hi I have one just like your medal and have found only one other on E-bay. He wants $70.00 for it. But I think its worth alot more because of its historical significance. The celebration of the first president and the centenial celebration of the country with the brooklin bridge as a symbol of the industrial age.

 

More likely just throwing a bunch of recognized symbols on the piece to try and increase sales of the medal. The centennial of Washington's inauguration was in 1889. The centennial of the country was 1876. The Brooklyn bridge opened in 1883. So just what was this thing commemorating and when?

 

Ignaugeration medallion

Using information given and speculation, this medal could of been a tribute to the Industrial revelution that was in that era. The bridge which probably was approved to be built was design and engineered. It was a celebration of the countries advancement as a nation. Thats why i think its a cool medalion!

 

This medal was minted for the opening of the Brooklyn bridge in1883. It is one of several different medals made at the time to commemorate the opening of the bridge. I recently bought one that is similar except the reverse has a winged man with type saying come see our bridge and the obverse has the bridge. Many medals had the bust of Washington whether appropriate or not. I really like the Brooklyn Bridge medals due to their showing the river traffic around the bridge. The worth of the medal is about fifty dollars and more if it is in good shape.

 

medallion worth

How many varieties were made and how many and where?

 

I am not sure how many varieties were made; I have found about five. The number made who knows, I have found these medals on EBay occasionally. My assumption is that they were made in New York City. By the way, I think the winged man on my medal is either Roebling's father, who began the work on the bridge, or a dedication to the men who died working on the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

Put some realistic value on this 1789 1st president usa 1797 george washington coin/token im looking for a serious buyer or authenticator to make a real world offer . This coin has a very dull finish an its tarnished or shows signs of age but the actual engravings are in awesome condition its amazing!! I believe it is made of pewter or some similar type of metal ,there is no brightness or shine an the color is sort of steel gray with a tint of yellow no visible nicks or structure damage of any kind it was found pressed between two pages of a book dated 1898

 

And it has the same thing on the other side. The zipper pull/jewelry bangle from the early 1970's strikes again.

 

Not extremely valuable; however, you might search a medal/token collector who would offer something for it. These are all over the place and I found one exactly like yours, hole above Washington's head like yours, that sold on eBay for $15 plus $5 shipping.

FYI, pewter is tin with a little bit of copper. Brass is just the opposite, copper with a little bit of tin.

 

I have a George Washington coin. At the top it saids 1st President, U.S.A. On the sides it saids (starting from the left) his dates of 1789 1797. At the bottom it saids George Washington. In the middle on the front it has a picture of George looking at the 1797 side. On the other side of the coin at the top it says American Fabius (not sure what that means) at the bottom of the coin it says Father of his Country. The middle of the coin says First in war, First in peace, First in the hearts, Of his countrymen, Served eight years, As President, Without pay. I found a whole bunch of coins from when my grandfather passed away. I could see him having some crap coins that arent worth anything but my grandfather was a person that looked for rare things a mostly found them. He had old indian drawings from the 1700s that we sold for almost 2 thousand each. He was very smart and brilliant and left this stuff to us. If you can help me that would be awesome to let me know if it is worth anything thank you.

 

Pictures?

Can't tell anything without pictures.

 

No, he didn't. He offered to serve without pay if Congress just covered his expenses. They were smart enough not to go for that deal. He had made that deal with Congress when he lead the army. His "expenses" were HUGE, about ten times what his salary would have been and many times higher than his salary as President was.

 

i have a medallion which reads centennial celebration of the inauguration of george washington to the presidency of the united states april 30 1789 ive seen the one of his death it has a hole in it so ppl could wear it around their necks but cannot find this one if you have any info on it please fill me in