Military Medals

About This Coin

The U.S. Mint's Military Medals encompass a distinguished body of metallic tributes honoring American military leaders, campaigns, and institutions, produced at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of approximately 50,000 pieces across all issues. This category includes Congressional Gold Medals awarded to generals and admirals for distinguished service, campaign medals commemorating specific conflicts from the Revolutionary War through modern engagements, and institutional medals celebrating military organizations and academies. A remarkable auction result of $240,000 in UNC Detail grade at Heritage Auctions reflects the extraordinary value that the rarest military medal issues can achieve, particularly original strikings of early Congressional Gold Medals from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The tradition of Congressional military medals dates to the Revolutionary War, when Congress authorized gold medals for George Washington, Horatio Gates, and other commanders, establishing a precedent that continues to the present day. Military medals were typically produced in three metals — gold for the honoree, silver for presentation to dignitaries, and bronze for public sale — creating a hierarchy of rarity within each issue. The category appeals to collectors at the intersection of numismatics and military history, offering tangible connections to the individuals and events that shaped American defense history across nearly 250 years of national existence.