Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Sotheby Parke Bernet New York, April 30, 1976, lot 395

Wolf Family Collection No. 0087 (acquired from the above)

John H. Dryfhout, The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Hanover, New Hampshire, 1982, no. 134, pp. 177-78, illustration of another example

B.H. Saxton, "Washington Medallion by Augustus Saint-Gaudens," Numismatist, vol. 56, February 1943, pp. 94-6

Neil MacNeil, The President's Medal, 1789-1977, Washington, D.C., 1977, pp. 41-5

C.W. Bowen, ed., The History of the Centennial Celebration of the Inauguration of George Washington, New York, 1892, pp. 139-41

This coin was conceived for the centennial of George Washington's first presidential inauguration, which took place on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789. This is one of only five instances in the history of the United States where a president was inaugurated outside of Washington, D.C.; the other four instances took place when a vice president succeeded to presidency upon the death of the president.

On April 30, 1889, New York City proudly held a celebration to commemorate this singular and deeply important moment in the history of the United States. The present commemorative medal—modeled by Philip Martiny and copyrighted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens—includes motifs that celebrate both the United States and New York City. On the obverse, 13 stars around the circumference reference the 13 original states, and on the reverse, 38 stars represent the 38 states at the time the ceremony was held in 1889 (later that year, 4 more states were admitted to the union). On the reverse, the United States is represented by an American eagle with arrows and an olive branch in its talons, while New York is represented by its coat-of-arms.