Medal with a Presidential provenance...

Updated 06/28/2014

The Kennedy Appreciation Medal was struck in 1962. Only 300 were minted at the US Mint in Philadelphia. The medal was first used in 1963 during Kennedy's trip to Ireland.

I am still performing research on the Kennedy appreciation medal. If you have any original source information (US Mint or White House) or good leads, I would greatly appreciate it.

To the best of my knowledge, only one catalog reference (K-62-1) is made (The Medallic Portraits of John F. Kennedy, by Edward C. Rochette, 1966) to the medal. Mr. Edward C. Rochette is a former Executive Director and ANA Past President. Mr. Rochette has written numerous numismatic books. His contribution to numismatics is unquestionable.

The Medallic Portraits of John F. Kennedy provides a wealth of information about the Kennedy numismatic issues (domestic and foreign) up to the year of publication (1966).

A point that needs to made about the book. Three individuals with ties to the US Mint were acknowledged as contributors on page 8. These names when associated with the book corroborates the correctness of the US Mint products that are listed. The three names listed on page 8 are Miss Eva Adams (director of US Mint), Gilroy Roberts (9th chief engraver US Mint whose term ended in 1964), and Frank Gasparro (10th chief engraver US Mint).

The image is of an original medal recently added to my "Presidential with appreciation medal collection". This is not a re-strike. The concept of the presidential "with appreciation medal" is that at the discretion of the President, he presents the medal to an individual in thankful recognition.

It is my opinion that the reserve design of the President Kennedy appreciation medal was used as the basis for developing the reverse of the Kennedy Half-Dollar.

Previously written historical information lays claim that the John F. Kennedy presidential series medal (US Mint Inauguration medal for President Kennedy) was the basis for both the obverse and reverse designs. I see the connection with the obverse design; however, the reverse design is too small and the intricate details are not simply there.

The obverse design is by Frank Gasparro. On the President's right shoulder is the name of the designer "F. GASPARRO"

The intricate details of the reverse design on the Kennedy appreciation medal can be clearly seen on the Kennedy Half-Dollar. The Kennedy appreciation medal was also designed and struck before President Kennedy's assassination.

There is one piece of information that backs my belief. The reverse of the Kennedy appreciation medal is by Frank Gasparro. His" FG" initials are also placed in similar locations on both the appreciation medal and the half-dollar coin.

The Presidential Appreciation Medal Series is not a well-documented series. It is both challenging and rewarding. The challenge is to locate the source information and document it well. The reward is being the first to uncover new information and sharing it. Besides, these medals are a part of US history, not simply a coin or medal to commemorate an event or person. These medals was actually created for exclusive use by the President.

Lastly, K-62-1a is uniface specimen (of only the reverse side struck) that is part of the Smithsonian collection.

Note: If you read my previous journal entries, I uncovered the Eisenhower Appreciation medal series and documented all 17 medals. I still have yet to provide NGC or PCGS a reference copy and will do so shortly. The book is available on both amazon.com and createspace.com (search the title: The Dwight D. Eisenhower Appreciation Medals).

To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.