(2022) Presidential Silver Medal - Zachary Taylor

Coin Details

Auction Record

$50 MS69 10-27-2024 eBay

Description

The 2022 Zachary Taylor "1849" silver matte finish medal honors the twelfth President of the United States in the Presidential Silver Medal Program. Taylor's inauguration in March 1849 brought to the White House a professional soldier who had never held elected office and reportedly had never even voted. His military career spanned four decades, from the War of 1812 through the Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican-American War, where his victories at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterrey, and Buena Vista made him a national hero. Taylor served only sixteen months before dying on July 9, 1850, of acute gastroenteritis after consuming large quantities of raw cherries and iced milk at a Fourth of July celebration at the Washington Monument. His brief presidency was consumed by the escalating sectional crisis over slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico. Despite being a Southern slaveholder himself, Taylor took a firmly Unionist stance, threatening to personally lead the army against any state that attempted secession — a position that put him at odds with Southern colleagues and contributed to the passage of the Compromise of 1850 under his successor Millard Fillmore. Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) earned the nickname "Old Rough and Ready" for his unpretentious battlefield manner, often commanding in civilian clothes. The silver matte finish medal captures this plainspoken warrior-president whose unexpected death altered the course of the slavery debate.

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 #903596