(1870) Silver Medal J-PR-32, Washington-Grant

Coin Details

Auction Record

$384 MS62 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This silver medal cataloged as Julian PR-32 pairs George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant — the president who founded the republic and the general who saved it on the battlefield before ascending to the presidency himself. Produced around 1870, shortly after Grant took office as the eighteenth president, this dual-president medal continued the tradition of pairing Washington with the current president to assert continuity of national leadership. The design connects Washington's establishment of the American experiment with Grant's military preservation of the Union through four years of devastating civil war. Grant's transition from commanding general to president paralleled Washington's own path from military hero to civilian leader, making the pairing particularly apt. Both men were reluctant politicians thrust into the presidency by the force of their military accomplishments and the nation's need for stable leadership during transformative periods. The silver composition marks this as a premium collector or presentation piece. The 1870 date places the medal during the early months of Grant's presidency, when optimism about Reconstruction and national reconciliation was still relatively high. Grant's administration would face enormous challenges in attempting to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people while reintegrating the former Confederate states. Dual-president medals pairing Washington with contemporary presidents formed a distinct sub-series within the Julian catalog, with the Washington-Jackson (PR-29), Washington-Lincoln (PR-31), and Washington-Grant (PR-32) pieces representing the most significant entries in this tradition.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Silver strikings of the Washington-Grant medal were produced in limited quantities. Less well-known than the Washington-Lincoln pairing but equally significant to medal specialists.

Cross References

Julian PR-32; Baker catalog cross-reference; PCGS #539266