What are special Government medals?
The images in this blog are from the Annual Report of the Director of the Mint from the years 1957 through 1962. The Bureau of the Mint provided a function to manufacture special Government medals (sGm). The other functions of the Bureau of the Mint was to manufacture coinage for commerce and national commemorative medals (NCM).
1957 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1958 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1959 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1960 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1961 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1962 image - A change in terms. Medals of national character (NCM) and special medals for United States Government agencies (sGm).
These images provides evidence that the Bureau of the Mint had three functions in the manufacture realm:
1. Manufacture coins for commerce (domestic and foreign)
2. Manufacture national medals
3. Manufacture special Government medals
General numismatic information has been readily available for coins of commerce and national medals.
Special Government medals are without general numismatic information and this is due to its unacknowledged status by the Bureau of the Mint.
Do you know why sGm have an unacknowledged status?
sGm are a product of a joint inter-agency effort (acquiring US Government agency and the Bureau of the Mint). The Bureau of the Mint enforces confidentiality of this joint inter-agency effort, hence no releasing of information to the public.
1957 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1958 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1959 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1960 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1961 image - NCM (term historical) and sGm are mentioned
1962 image - A change in terms. Medals of national character (NCM) and special medals for United States Government agencies (sGm).
These images provides evidence that the Bureau of the Mint had three functions in the manufacture realm:
1. Manufacture coins for commerce (domestic and foreign)
2. Manufacture national medals
3. Manufacture special Government medals
General numismatic information has been readily available for coins of commerce and national medals.
Special Government medals are without general numismatic information and this is due to its unacknowledged status by the Bureau of the Mint.
Do you know why sGm have an unacknowledged status?
sGm are a product of a joint inter-agency effort (acquiring US Government agency and the Bureau of the Mint). The Bureau of the Mint enforces confidentiality of this joint inter-agency effort, hence no releasing of information to the public.
Comments
user_7180
Level 5
Very interesting. Secrecy always gets the thought processes going into over-drive! Why did they do it? What did they mint? Who received them? :)
Pliny The Elder
Level 5
Would the special government medals include things like the Purple Heart Medal?
Mike
Level 7
Hi! During the American revolution we used money from many different countries. In 1945 General MacArthur brought money from from the Denver mint and the San Francisco mint because when he left he took all the money and dumped it in the Pacific. This meant the Japanese couldn't use it to buy ammunition. Some countries make money for other countries. Great blog plenty of history and information. Thank you for your time. Mike. Oh I just remembered we use to make Proof coins and give them to foreign diplomates along with medals!