(1917) Medal WW 1917-3 Bronze 51mm Woodrow Wilson Inaugural

Coin Details

Description

This large 51mm bronze inaugural medal for Woodrow Wilson, cataloged as WW 1917-3, commemorates Wilson's second inauguration on March 5, 1917. Wilson won re-election in 1916 with the famous slogan "He Kept Us Out of War," but within a month of this inauguration he would ask Congress for a declaration of war against Germany, making the inauguration one of the most ironic moments in American political history. The 51mm diameter provides ample space for detailed portraiture and inscriptions. Wilson's second term would be dominated by World War I, the Fourteen Points, the League of Nations, and the devastating stroke that incapacitated him in October 1919. This bronze inaugural medal captures Wilson at the pinnacle of his political power, having narrowly defeated Republican Charles Evans Hughes in an election that hinged on California's 13 electoral votes. The 1917 date on the medal records the inauguration's occurrence on March 5 rather than the traditional March 4, because March 4 fell on a Sunday that year.

Rarity Notes

Large 51mm bronze inaugural medal from 1917. WW 1917-3. Wilson second inauguration. Historic irony of "He Kept Us Out of War" followed immediately by war entry.

Cross References

PCGS #594620; WW 1917-3; Woodrow Wilson second inauguration; March 5, 1917