Whenever someone asks if you have any regrets about the purchases you didn't make, my answer for the last decade has been that I passed on an 1801 Thomas Jefferson inaugural medal. I purchased this one in the last group of Stacks' auctions. It's not perfect. There are a couple toning spots on the obverse which I wish were not there, but I have "filled the hole", which makes me very happy. This piece was John Reich's first medal that he produced after he came to America in 1800. The obverse commemorates Thomas Jefferson's inauguration as President on March 4, 1801. The reverse commemorates the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was the prime author of that document. This piece is made of silver. There are an estimated 12 known examples. In addition there might be four or five examples in white metal. PCGS graded this piece SP-62. I am a bit more conservative at SP-58. When there are only 12 known, you can't be overly choosey. I think that the finest known example is the piece in the Massachusetts Historical Society collection. I done some Google searches and found pictures of 9 other examples in silver. I grade my piece the fifth best among that group. A tenth piece was stolen from the University of Virginia in 1973 and has never been recovered. It belonged to one of Jefferson's daughters, Maria. It was said to be polished with a rim bruise at 11 k. I found four white metal pieces on line.
