(1970s)-D Medal James A. Garfield 34mm Inaugurated 1881

Coin Details

Description

This 34mm Denver Mint presidential medal features James A. Garfield with the notation "Inaugurated 1881." Garfield served only 200 days before being shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881, dying on September 19 after a prolonged and agonizing decline made worse by his doctors' inability to locate the bullet. His assassination catalyzed the civil service reform movement that had been building for years. The Denver Mint medal series captures Garfield's likeness among the other presidents in a uniform format that emphasizes the office rather than individual presidential achievements or failures. The transition from hand-engraved to machine-produced campaign medals paralleled broader industrialization trends in American manufacturing, with each technological advance enabling larger production runs at lower per-unit costs. Garfield's brief presidency left little policy legacy, but his assassination had the profound effect of ending the spoils system through the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883.

Rarity Notes

Denver Mint 34mm presidential medal, 1970s. James A. Garfield. Part of comprehensive presidential series.

Cross References

PCGS #922153; Denver Mint presidential medal series; James A. Garfield; inaugurated 1881