(c.1869) Bronze Medalet J-PR-39, Lincoln-Grant

Coin Details

Description

The undated bronze medalet linking Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, cataloged as Julian PR-39, is a small-format commemorative piece connecting the sixteenth President and his most important military commander. The "c.1869" attribution indicates the medalet was produced around the time of Grant's inauguration as the eighteenth President on March 4, 1869, creating a symbolic link between the wartime president who preserved the Union and the general who achieved military victory on the battlefield. Lincoln and Grant's partnership during the Civil War was one of the most consequential in American military history. After cycling through a series of cautious or unsuccessful commanders — McDowell, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, and Meade — Lincoln elevated Grant to general-in-chief of all Union armies in March 1864. Grant's relentless Overland Campaign and coordination of multiple simultaneous offensives across all theaters ultimately compelled Confederate surrender. Lincoln's famous assessment was that Grant was a general who "fights." The medalet format indicates a small-diameter piece, under 25mm, designed for personal wearing or pocket carrying. The bronze composition and diminutive size made it an accessible memento linking two figures who together represented the salvation of the American republic. Julian PR-39 bridges the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, commemorating the transfer of national leadership from the murdered commander-in-chief to the victorious general who would continue the work of reunification as president.

Rarity Notes

Small bronze medalet from circa 1869. The medalet format and early production date make surviving examples less commonly encountered than standard-size bronze presidential medals.

Cross References

PCGS #907147; Julian PR-39