Inaugural Medals

About This Coin

Presidential Inaugural Medals constitute one of the most historically rich categories within American medallic art, produced at the San Francisco and Denver Mints with a combined mintage of 389,133 pieces spanning inaugurations from the early republic through the modern era. These medals are struck to commemorate the swearing-in ceremony of each incoming president, typically featuring the president's portrait on the obverse and imagery or text related to the inauguration on the reverse. A notable auction result of $38,000 in SP62 grade at Stack's Bowers demonstrates that the rarest inaugural medals — particularly early issues from the 18th and 19th centuries — command extraordinary prices from collectors who pursue these pieces as tangible links to the peaceful transfer of power that defines American democracy. The tradition of inaugural medals extends back to George Washington's presidency, and the earliest examples were often produced by private manufacturers rather than the U.S. Mint, creating a complex bibliographic landscape for researchers and catalogers. Modern inaugural medals are official U.S. Mint products, struck in bronze, silver, and occasionally gold, with the silver and gold versions produced in limited quantities for presentation and collector sales. The series provides a continuous numismatic narrative of the American presidency, with each medal capturing the artistic sensibilities, political symbolism, and commemorative conventions of its particular era. Collectors often pursue inaugural medals alongside presidential portrait medals and campaign tokens to build comprehensive presidential numismatic collections.