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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 5289378, member: 101855&quot;]This exhibit is Covet jinxed. I made it up for the Summer FUN only to have then canceled. Then I applied to show it this January only to have the virus shoot it down again. Maybe the sickness is trying to tell me something. At any rate I have decided to post it here in a number of parts.</p><p><br /></p><p>My apologies for all the chapters, but since the topic is presidential inaugural medals, we can “milk” the topic for a while. The next inauguration is in less than a month. At any rate, here is the first panel.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>A Quadrennial Celebration</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Presidential inaugurations have been a time for celebration since George Washington took the first Oath of Office in 1789. Quite often the United States Government or a private concern issued medals that commemorated the event. Starting in 1889, the Inaugural Committee, which was responsible for organizing the celebration, issued official medals. The early medals were suspended from ribbons. Inaugural volunteers, workers and officials wore these decorations, which were often marked with the role that person had in the event or the title an event official held.</p><p><br /></p><p>Starting with the 1901 inauguration, the pieces became stand alone medals. Gold medals were awarded to the president, vice president and often the chairman of the Inaugural Committee. Silver medals, when they were made, were given to other dignitaries. Bronze medals were awarded to workers and sold to the public as a fund raising project for the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This exhibit covers the official inaugural bronze medals issued from 1901 to 1961. The names of Democratic Party presidents are presented in blue. Republican presidents are shown in red. Contemporary campaign buttons, that display pictures of the president and his vice presidential running mate, are exhibited in the upper right of most panels.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1221872[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1221874[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><i>An 1893 Grover Cleveland Medal that was issued for someone who worked on the &quot;public comfort&quot; committee. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1221873[/ATTACH]</i></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1221881[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>A medal issued for the 1897 McKinley Inauguration. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><b>William McKinley</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>1901</b></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1221879[/ATTACH] </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>A campaign button showing William McKinley and his running mate, Theodore Roosevelt, &quot;The Rough Rider.&quot; </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1221877[/ATTACH] </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><b>Designer </b>“U.S. Mint” Charles Barber probably had considerable influence.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Diameter </b> 44 mm</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mintages</b>&nbsp; 2 or 3 in gold, 55 in silver, 4,000+ in bronze</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Notes:</b> The 1901 McKinley medal is the most common early inaugural medal in bronze. The gold medals were awarded to the president, vice president and perhaps the chairman of the Inaugural Committee. This would be the policy for many of the medals that follow. The silver pieces were awarded to senior members of the inaugural committee staff. They were housed in flip-top, leather presentation boxes.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i></i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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