(1878) Bronze Medal J-PR-19, Rutherford B. Hayes

Coin Details

Description

The 1878 bronze medal of Rutherford B. Hayes, cataloged as Julian PR-19, was struck at the United States Mint during the early portion of Hayes's single term as the nineteenth President (1877-1881). Hayes assumed office under extraordinary circumstances, having won the most disputed presidential election in American history. The 1876 contest against Samuel J. Tilden was resolved only by a special Electoral Commission that awarded Hayes all twenty contested electoral votes by an 8-to-7 party-line vote, earning him the derisive nickname "His Fraudulency" from political opponents. Despite the cloud over his election, Hayes pursued a reform-minded presidency that included ending Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South, reforming the civil service system by challenging the spoils system, and vetoing the Bland-Allison Act (though Congress overrode his veto). He honored his pledge to serve only one term. The obverse features Hayes's portrait with his distinctive full beard, one of the longest worn by any American president. The Mint's engraving staff rendered his likeness for the presidential medal series in the established tradition of right-facing bust portraits. The reverse carries the standard presidential identification inscription. Julian PR-19 follows the sequential numbering within the presidential bronze medal catalog, and like other entries in the series, was produced for sale to the public through the Mint's medal distribution program.

Rarity Notes

Standard U.S. Mint bronze presidential medal. Produced for public sale without a fixed mintage cap. Readily obtainable in the numismatic market.

Cross References

PCGS #914750; Julian PR-19