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Haney's Blog

27 Jan 2020

Franklin Mint Nixon Campaign Medal

Exonumia | Haney

Upon reading the blog “Coin Thoughts #86 by SUN” I remembered a medal I had stashed away in my collection. It was unwanted thing receiving no bids at the local club auction so I offered the seller what I had in my wallet at the time which I believe amounted to all of three dollars. The medal was obviously tainted by a man who resigned as president at a time when I was just a small boy playing with marbles and dreaming of being an astronaut someday. So from that perspective I cannot weigh in on the right or wrong of the time I just knew that there had been a change and now Ford was our president. The only personal experience I can speak to in regards to this former president is that I lived not far from his compound at the end of Orange County in San Clemente for a few years and I have eaten at the El Adobe in San Juan Capistrano that apparently he frequented when in town.

Anyway, like the medal inauguration medal this too is a product of the Franklin Mint. The cost of ownership when issued was a $25 minimum contribution, or at least that is what I find noted in the Guidebook of Franklin Mint Issues published by Krause in 1974. The medal was issued in 1972 as the official campaign medal for the Republican National Committee. The portrait was sculpted by Gilroy Roberts and you can see his initial just below the bust on the obverse. The reverse just has the letters FM in a stylized format for Franklin Mint with the copyright for the RNC elephant logo. The Krause Publication list this particular piece as API 1 /J39/PL, which sounds rather complicated and I am not sure if this nomenclature ever caught on. API stands for American Political Issues, not that it was about the issues per se but it was an edition. 1 of course being the first in the listing though there are two 1s. J is for Franklin Bronze, not sure what that composite specifically is though and by the way in case you are wondering the other API 1 is D for silver. 39 is the number of millimeters in diameter the piece is, pretty useful information if you ask me. Lastly PL is as you would probably guess is proof-like. The total minted is listed as 108,044 so using the minimum twenty five dollar contribution this issue should have raised at least $2,701,100.00 less the cost Franklin Mint charged Republican National Committee.

At the time this guidebook was issued the piece was listed as a value of $10.00 so figuring with inflation I guess I got a pretty good deal a few years back. Lastly to follow-up on my personal experiences the food and the service at the El Adobe was excellent the last time I had it and I recently read in a builders publication that the last of Nixon’s compound in San Clemente had been developed into expensive tract homes.


Comments

Kepi

Level 6

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

I. R. Bama

Level 5

I happen to have one as well!

1943penny

Level 4

Nice Blog! Thanks for the info!

Very cool!!!

silvar eagle

Level 3

I like the picture

"SUN"

Level 6

Interesting blog. Glad I could spark a memory of an item in your collection.

Longstrider

Level 6

Nice medal of a, lets say, not too popular president. It stands on its own beauty from a gifted artist. Thanks, I've never seen one of these political medals..

Another fine piece of medallic sculpture from Gilroy Roberts. Sometimes I think the Franklin Mint would not have made it with him. Retired chief engravers rarely have a 2nd career, but he sure did.

Golfer

Level 5

Thanks for the story and the information. I have never seen one before and will keep a look out for political medals.

It's Mokie

Level 6

I can understand why interest was minimal, but $3 seems about right for a piece of campaign memorabilia.

Mike

Level 7

That's the one thing with medals. You buy them for there beauty not there value. Mr. Newman the famous collector said I don't collect them the have no value.. Well I buy them for there beauty. And some are very cheep. Some are very expensive. Depends on who made them. I collect them when I see one that catches my eye.. Thanks. Mike

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