I have noticed a good number of these selling on ebay from time to time, but I there is so little posted online (or nothing) that explains the history of these. I know they were limited to 4000 bronze and I think even less silver. They were made because Johnson wanted to be on the medal with Kennedy. There were errors with on the reverse that stated Johnson as the 38th vice president, but was corrected to 37th early in the run. I believe only 40 silver went out with this error. Does anyone know a history or a site that has info on these? To see the bronze selling for $50+ tells me they are in demand. I can't believe there is so little online with these things not only being limited to 4,000 but also having errors. Or am I just missing the info somewhere? Thanks all. (Also these images were taken from an online auction site that didn't have info. )
Listed on page 40 in the book, Medallic Portraits of John F. Kennedy, 1966, Edward C. Rochette. Serial number on edge identifies the variety/metal type.
It is not the official inaugural medal for Kennedy. The general rule is for the first term only the President appears, for a second term both the President and Vice President appear on the OFFICIAL medals.
I think i am befuddled by how much work it takes to find info on these. I see this medal being a huge reflection of the attitude that Johnson had to be seen as a leader in the White House, and not just a vice-president. His constant attempts to be seen as Kennedy's equal after losing the primary to him is in history books. Some even believe LBJ may have played a role in Kennedy's assassination. (I said some, I didn't say me.) But it only adds to the story of how these medals came to be. Anyway, thanks guys for your responses.
It's an interesting Medal and I would say best collected in a paring, I have collected quite few coins that represent the era of Kennedy, And I find it fun when new pieces hit the market, I snag them up when I see them.
I have a number of these Executive medals for JFK and LBJ. Getting the pair ( serial number ) is not easy as you don't see the silver ones come on the market often. I have a number of the silver and bronze in the error. The number of silver Executives out there in the error are probably less than 40 since likely some were melted over the years.
Johnson was a sort of forgotten man in the Kennedy administration. From what I have read, the Kennedy people offered the vice presidential nomination to Johnson thinking that he would not take it. Johnson was the majority leader in the Senate, which was a more powerful position than the VP. Johnson surprised them by taking it. Jackie Kennedy called him “Colonel Corn Pone.” He was a sort of 5th wheel in the Kennedy administration. Johnson really wanted to be president. He had thought that he could use his Senate connections to get the 1960 Democrat nomination, but he was wrong. Kennedy beat out Hubert Humphrey in the primaries and held on to his lead. The VP slot got Johnson one heartbeat away, and it worked out him.
@ SwineOfTroyers said “Some believe that LBJ may have played a role in Kennedy’s assassination.” Yes, back in the day there was a silly play called “McBird” which was inspired by Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” which made that claim. It was foolishness. I have my issues with LBJ and think that he was a below average president, but that’s not one of them.
