Crafted from 1 ounce of .999 fine silver, the James A. Garfield Presidential Silver Medal makes its debut today at Noon ET, courtesy of the United States Mint. This medal commemorates the 20th President of the United States, featuring his portrait on the obverse (heads side).
James Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1831, in a log cabin, making him the last President to be born in such humble circumstances. Before graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1856, Garfield worked as a canal boat team driver. He then pursued a career as a classics professor at Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (later Hiram College) in Ohio. Within a year, he was appointed as its president.
Political ambition soon followed, as he was elected to the Ohio Senate as a Republican in 1859. He then answered the call of duty to the Union military, successfully leading a brigade at Middle Creek, Kentucky, against Confederate troops. At only 31 years of age, he was made a brigadier general, followed two years later by an appointment as a major general of volunteers. While still serving in the military, he was elected to the U.S. Congress and resigned his commission at the request of President Abraham Lincoln, who wanted more party members in the House of Representatives.
Garfield won re-election for 18 years, eventually becoming the leading Republican in the House. In 1880, despite initially promoting his friend John Sherman at the Republican convention for President, Garfield emerged as the "dark horse" nominee on the 36th ballot, eventually defeating the Democratic nominee by a margin of only 10,000 popular votes.
As President, Garfield is reputed to have restored the prestige to the office that had been diminished by his predecessors. However, his time in office would be tragically brief, as he was assassinated after serving only 100 days.
U.S. Mint Presidential Medal Programs
Presidential medals, produced by the U.S. Mint, have a longstanding history tracing back to the inception of the nation, often bestowed as "Peace Medals" upon Native Americans. Modern Presidential silver medals made their debut in 2018 and have since been released with the following associated sales:
- George Washington – 35,427
- John Adams – 23,753
- Thomas Jefferson – 24,421
- James Madison – 17,000
- James Monroe – 15,358
- John Quincy Adams – 14,892
- Andrew Jackson – 16,739
- Martin Van Buren – 13,807
- William Henry Harrison – 13,663
- John Tyler – 13,717
- James K. Polk – 13,308
- Zachary Taylor – 13,074
- Millard Fillmore – 12,691
- Franklin Pierce – 12,585
- James Buchanan – 12,330
- Abraham Lincoln – 18,956
- Andrew Johnson – 12,475
- Ulysses S. Grant – 13,319
- Rutherford B. Hayes – 11,280
The Rutherford B. Hayes medal launched earlier this year on Feb. 13th. Medals honoring Chester Arthur and Grover Cleveland are scheduled to be released later this year.
Medal Designs
A portrait of James A. Garfield appears on the obverse (heads side) of each new silver medal along with the inscription of his name “JAMES A. GARFIELD.”
The reverse (tails side) depicts a wreath of laurel and oak leaves wrapped in crossed ribbons. Inside the wreath are the inscriptions "INAUGURATED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 4, 1881," "ASSASSINATED JULY 2, 1881," and "DIED SEPT 19, 1881."
Presidential Silver Medal Specifications
Presidential silver medals have a matte finish, which gives them an appearance similar to that of an uncirculated coin. Additional medal specifications are as follows:
| Denomination: | N/A |
|---|---|
| Finish: | Matte |
| Composition: | 99.9% Silver |
| Silver Weight: | 1.000 troy oz. |
| Diameter: | 1.598 in. |
| Edge: | Plain |
| Mint and Mint Mark: | N/A |
| Privy Mark: | None |
| Design: | Designer: William and Charles Barber |
| Struck Under Authority of: | 31 U.S.C. § 5111(a)(2) |
Ordering and Price
Priced at $75, James A. Garfield Presidential Silver Medals are available for purchase directly from the U.S. Mint’s catalog for silver medals, without any mintage or household order limits.
I still am amazed that anyone would be willing to spend $75, plus shipping, for an ounce of silver with a portrait of some guy on the obverse. Only in America.
Put Snake on a coin. He’s not just any guy on the obverse…He’ll sell a few.
Only in America…
I like the idea of a snake on a coin, but here’s the one I’d like to see, published by Ben Franklin May 9, 1754.
See Ben Franklin Commem $1 from 2007, been done….
Right you are, John Q.! I had completely forgotten about the reverse of the Scientist silver $, and actually have that coin. Good to be reminded. It’s a message I’d like to see resurrected for the semiquincentennial: that united we survive, but divided we fall.
Thumbs up
What’s going on with the price of gold just days before the Mint releases the eagles? There has been speculation in the past that the price always goes up right before the release. Is Cag using some tricky futures strategy to drive the price down so he can get a good price on the 1 oz and 1/10 oz coins?
The Fed is having a meeting tomorrow.
Cag’ll be all over it, parsing word for word..Cags’ Bread & Butter is *His* premium charged forward to his clients regardless of $ Mint/spot imo..
Another Metallic rally tomorrow?
He’ll chime in when an all time high hits again, but S&P must be included?… Bam x 3 usually…
The price of the 4 coin AGE Set will be pricey indeed, but just remember not to miss out on this “golden” opportunity!
Why I do do not like silver as an investment. When silver takes a dive it dives like no other. Gold goes down 2.56%, while silver goes down 3.91% highest % than any other metal.
From this year’s lows GLD up23%, SLV up 35% . Volatility cuts both ways!!
I had originally intended to collect some, if not this entire series until, the proverbial ball(my case) or gauntlet(USM) was dropped, on these Presidential Silver Medals. What do I mean? Well 2 things turned me away. The fact that these wouldn’t have a mintage or product limit and 2 the price, followed by a price raise. Now it’s super easy and not even slightly interested other than tracking sales and looking at the designs. BTW, in case your curious what future upcoming designs look like, just take a look at the linked USM page below, as the Silver Presidential Medals… Read more »
CaliSkier, the medals are a gift that just keeps giving for the Mint, in that more can be made at any time and the only thing that changes are the prices. Every single silver presidential medal since the first release of Washington and Adams on August 16, 2018 (initially for $39.95) is still available for purchase (all 20 of them at $75 each).
2024 Alabama AI $1 sales 4/28/24. 7,367 sold, out of a product limit of 7,350.(D roll) 8,074 sold, out of a product limit of 8,400.(P roll) 2,832 sold, out of a product limit of 2,950.(D 100 coin bag, 85 available as of this post) 3,146 sold, out of a product limit of 3,150.( P 100 coin bag) The Denver rolls on the next report should prove interesting as, they are over the “Product Limit” currently. My guess, is they still have plenty of the P rolls. Just using or playing a little game of FOMO IMO, to try and coax… Read more »
Hard to believe, Caliskier- especially the P bag. The weekly sales change:
D bag = minus 106; P bag = zero; D roll = 59, P roll = 97. Only the D bag available this morning. The big unknown in these weekly sales numbers is the actual number of returns and the actual number of sales. Also, how many are actually available for sale. If, in fact, the Mint sells more product than its stated limit I’d say its false advertising/fraud and there should be a class-action lawsuit.
But imagine being shot and laying there dying for 2 1/2 with barbaric doctors….and you’re the President, ah Garfield, but $75 forghettaboutit
2 1/2 MONTHS
That was one of the defenses used by the assassin’s lawyers – the doctors’ actions were the proximate cause of Garfield’s death.
Dear US Mint,
I want to call your attention to business opportunity. Soon, the Presidential silver medal series will come upon Grover Cleveland. He was the 22nd President. He was also the 24th President. You should definitely make two medals. You can make an easy extra $75 off the same man!