(2014) First Spouse Bronze Medal - Grace Coolidge

Coin Details

Description

The Grace Coolidge bronze medal celebrates one of the most beloved and popular First Ladies of the twentieth century. Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge was a graduate of the University of Vermont and worked as a teacher of the deaf at the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she met the taciturn Calvin Coolidge. The obverse, designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill, shows a woman whose warmth, charm, and vivacious personality provided a striking contrast to her famously silent husband. Grace Coolidge was an avid baseball fan, a fashion icon of the 1920s, and a devoted mother who bore the tragedy of losing her sixteen-year-old son Calvin Jr. to blood poisoning in 1924 with public grace. The reverse, designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart, references her lifelong work with the deaf community and her dedication to humanitarian causes. As First Lady from 1923 to 1929, she was enormously popular with the American public and press, though Calvin Coolidge strictly limited her public statements on political matters. After leaving the White House, she continued her work with deaf education and served on the Clarke School board for decades. Grace Coolidge lived until 1957 and was widely regarded as one of the most genuinely likable women to have served as First Lady. Struck in bronze at 1-5/16 inches.

Rarity Notes

Struck at the Philadelphia Mint during 2014 with open mintage. Grace Coolidge's enduring popularity makes this a well-regarded issue in the series.

Cross References

PCGS #531787; companion to First Spouse Gold $10