1939 Medal Congressional "Gold" Medal Howard R. Hughes Bronze 70mm

Coin Details

Description

The 1939 Congressional Gold Medal duplicate in bronze at 70mm honors Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (1905-1976), the aviator, filmmaker, and industrialist who set multiple aviation speed records in the 1930s. Congress authorized the medal in recognition of Hughes's record-breaking around-the-world flight of July 10-14, 1938, when he and a crew of four circumnavigated the globe in a Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra in 3 days, 19 hours, and 17 minutes — shattering the previous record of 7 days, 18 hours set by Wiley Post in 1933. The 70mm bronze duplicate reproduces the design of the original Congressional Gold Medal at a scale that preserves the medal's artistic detail. The obverse features a portrait of Hughes or his aircraft, while the reverse carries the congressional authorization text and a representation of the global route. Hughes's flight departed from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York and made stops in Paris, Moscow, Omsk, Yakutsk, Fairbanks, and Minneapolis before returning to New York to a hero's welcome with a ticker-tape parade. Hughes was one of the most extraordinary and enigmatic figures of the twentieth century. At the time of this medal, he was already famous as a filmmaker ("Hell's Angels," "Scarface"), aircraft designer, and record-setting pilot. He would later build Hughes Aircraft into a major defense contractor, acquire Trans World Airlines, and eventually retreat into a reclusive existence that became the subject of intense public fascination. The Congressional Gold Medal recognized Hughes at the peak of his public heroism, before mental illness and seclusion defined his later years.

Rarity Notes

Congressional Gold Medal bronze duplicates were produced by the U.S. Mint for public sale. The 70mm format is the large-size duplicate. Howard Hughes items are collected across multiple collecting categories.

Cross References

PCGS #889923; Congressional Gold Medal; Howard Hughes around-the-world flight July 10-14, 1938