(2022) Presidential Silver Medal - James K. Polk

Coin Details

Auction Record

$393 FR2 02-20-2022 eBay

Description

The 2022 James K. Polk "1845" silver matte finish medal honors the eleventh President of the United States in the Presidential Silver Medal Program. Polk is widely regarded by historians as the most effective single-term president in American history. He entered office in 1845 with four clearly stated goals — acquire California, settle the Oregon boundary dispute, reduce tariffs, and establish an independent treasury — and accomplished all four within a single term, then kept his pledge not to seek re-election. Polk's presidency (1845-1849) was dominated by the Mexican-American War, which he engineered through a combination of diplomatic provocation and military force. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ceded to the United States a vast territory encompassing present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 settled the northern boundary with Britain at the 49th parallel, completing the continental expansion that defined the Manifest Destiny era. James Knox Polk (1795-1849) was a protege of Andrew Jackson who served as Speaker of the House and governor of Tennessee before winning the 1844 presidential nomination as the first "dark horse" candidate. He worked himself to exhaustion in office, rarely taking breaks, and died just 103 days after leaving the presidency — the shortest post-presidential life of any president. The .999 fine silver matte finish medal honors a president whose ambition and effectiveness reshaped the American map.

Rarity Notes

Part of the 2022 release cycle in the Presidential Silver Medal Program. Produced during a defined mintage period. Available in the secondary market.

Cross References

PCGS #899534