1889 Bronze Medal J-PR-24, Benjamin Harrison

Coin Details

Description

This undated bronze U.S. Mint medal of Benjamin Harrison, cataloged as Julian PR-24, is the standard bronze presidential medal produced for the twenty-third President's ongoing collector sales. Harrison (1833-1901) served a single term from 1889 to 1893, sandwiched between the two non-consecutive terms of Grover Cleveland — making Harrison the only president to defeat an incumbent and then lose to the same incumbent four years later. Harrison's presidency was one of the most legislatively productive of the Gilded Age. Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, the McKinley Tariff, the Land Revision Act establishing forest reserves, and appropriated over one billion dollars in federal spending for the first time (earning it the nickname the "Billion Dollar Congress"). Harrison also oversaw the admission of six states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming — the most admitted during any single presidency. The obverse features Harrison with his trademark full beard, which he grew during the Civil War while serving as a brigadier general under Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign. Harrison was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison and the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Despite his distinguished lineage and genuine accomplishments, Harrison was personally aloof and earned the unfortunate nickname "the Human Iceberg." The undated bronze format made this medal continuously available to collectors through the Mint's sales program.

Rarity Notes

Standard U.S. Mint bronze presidential medal. Produced for public sale in Harrison's inaugural year. Available in the numismatic market without significant difficulty.

Cross References

PCGS #924194; Julian PR-24