A 1937 Presidential Inaugural Medal

[BillJones]

 

Franklin Roosevelt was the first and only president who won four terms in office. Among the four inaugural medals that were issued for his swearing into office, the 1937 piece is the most unusual. Like $2.50 and $5.00 Indian gold coins, the lettering is incuse, and vice president John Nance Garner gets almost equal billing with his portrait on the reverse. Artist Joseph A. Atchison (1895 - 1967) designed this unusual medal.

 

In most cases the vice president only has his name mentioned on the inaugural medal or if he is lucky he might get to share his profile behind the president's image. For the 1961 Kennedy Inaugural medal vice president Lyndon Johnson was not mentioned at all, which might have been an indicator of how Kennedy insiders viewed him. Johnson certainly felt that way during his time as the VP.

 

The reported mintage on this piece in bronze is 1,006, but it is believed that at least 90 pieces were melted. There were also two gold pieces, two silver pieces and two bronze pieces with a special dark finish issued as well.

 

Why did Garner get this special treatment on the 1937 inaugural medal? Perhaps someone was grooming him to take FDR's place in 1941 when it was presumed that Franklin Roosevelt would retire from office. At any rate it did not work out that way. FDR ran for an unprecedented third term and Garner elected to leave the ticket. By then he had come to the conclusion that the New Deal was too liberal for him, and he decided to return to Texas.

 

[RWB]

If I remember correctly, Garner was more pain in the neck than anything else. He also opposed the US's aircraft carrier construction schedule and aid to Great Britain. FDR wanted to be prepared to protect America and her interests despite a very active pacifist movement.

 

The portraits are interesting and a little unusual, but I've never liked the lettering, especially the cramped obverse.

 

[TomB]

The portrait of Garner seems too small on the VP side, but perhaps this was dictated by the desire to keep the portraits the same size and the FDR lettering on FDR's side.

[cpm9ball]

The portrait of Garner seems too small on the VP side, but perhaps this was dictated by the desire to keep the portraits the same size and the FDR lettering on FDR's side.

 

It probably would have looked better if the artist had centered his bust on the medal.

 

Chris