(1882) Gold Medal J-PR-40, Lincoln-Garfield

Coin Details

Auction Record

$750 AU55 04-15-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1882 Lincoln-Garfield medal in gold, cataloged as Julian PR-40, is one of the rarest and most historically poignant medals in the U.S. Mint's presidential series. This extraordinary piece links the two assassinated presidents — Abraham Lincoln, murdered by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, and James A. Garfield, shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881 — on a single medal struck in gold the year following Garfield's death. The pairing of these two martyred leaders on a precious metal medal underscored the nation's grief and its recognition that political assassination had become a recurring American tragedy. The medal's design places the two presidents in direct visual dialogue, with one side featuring Lincoln's portrait and the other Garfield's, creating a memorial object that could be contemplated from either direction. The 1882 date indicates the medal was produced while the shock of Garfield's assassination was still fresh in public memory, and while the nation debated the civil service reforms that his death would ultimately catalyze. Gold strikings of U.S. Mint medals were produced in extremely limited numbers, typically reserved for presentation purposes or for sale to wealthy collectors willing to pay the substantial premium for precious metal composition. The Julian PR-40 gold Lincoln-Garfield medal represents the pinnacle of the Mint's commemorative response to the dual tragedies and stands as one of the most significant American medals of the nineteenth century.

Rarity Notes

Gold striking is extremely rare. Gold versions of U.S. Mint medals were produced in very small quantities, often numbering in the single digits or low double digits. One of the most sought-after pieces in the Julian presidential medal series.

Cross References

PCGS #514994; Julian PR-40