(1889) Medal Douglas-10 White Metal Holed Inauguration Centennial

Coin Details

Auction Record

$65 MS62 08-22-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

This holed white metal medal from 1889, cataloged as Douglas-10, commemorates the centennial of George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789. The centennial celebration in New York City in 1889 was a major civic event featuring parades, speeches, and the production of numerous commemorative medals and tokens. The Douglas catalog, compiled by Thomas J. Douglas, is the standard reference for Washington Inaugural Centennial medals. The white metal composition and holed condition indicate this medal was worn during the centennial celebrations, which attracted enormous crowds to Lower Manhattan where Washington had taken the oath of office a century earlier. President Benjamin Harrison attended the ceremonies, delivering a speech at the Sub-Treasury Building on Wall Street — the site of Federal Hall where Washington was inaugurated. The centennial celebrations produced a rich body of medallic material that documents late nineteenth-century Americans' reverence for the founding generation and their desire to connect contemporary politics to the nation's revolutionary origins.

Rarity Notes

Holed white metal medal from 1889. Douglas-10. Washington Inaugural Centennial commemorative. Moderate scarcity among the various Douglas-cataloged centennial medals.

Cross References

PCGS #883359; Douglas-10; Washington Inaugural Centennial 1889; April 30, 1789