MCMV (1905) Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Medal. Bronze. 74 mm. 122.8 grams. By Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Baxter-78, Dryfhout-197. Plain Edge. MS-64 (NGC).We are delighted to be able to present an example of this classic piece, among the most prized of the Inaugural medals not only for its subject matter and rarity, but just as much for the artist who designed it, the firm that cast it and its influence on American coinage. It inspired Theodore Roosevelts hopes for a more sculptural and classical coinage and directly influenced the design of the reverse of the Indian $10 gold eagle introduced in 1907, also by Saint-Gaudens. This is an incredibly important American medal. The surfaces exhibit lovely deep brown patina with nuances of lighter chestnut blended throughout and very minor highlights on the highest points of the relief. Upon close inspection, the surfaces are finely granular as typical with trivial handling imperfections and one small area of gentle roughness beneath Roosevelts truncation. One small area between the letters HIN of WASHINGTON and the upper left wing of the eagle shows evidence of micro-tooling, clearly done in the shop of Tiffany & Company where this piece was made. Other medals seen have a raised imperfection in this area that was removed on this piece. Most examples of this medal bear the Tiffany mark on the edge, but not all of them. It is believed that some medals that were not considered completely up to the standards of the maker did not receive the mark, however, some of the unmarked medals appear just as nice as the marked ones and this can be counted among them. Among the unmarked medals are two examples that we sold in 2014, both having turned up in the estate of a one-time foreman at the Tiffany studios. His medals had been a bit more roughly treated, and came to us with further obvious "seconds" of other medals from the studio. The backstory of those pieces clarified that they were saved by someone who so appreciated their artistry that he could not bear to see them destroyed, which speaks to the pride of the Tiffany staff in the art that the studio produced. Even if this piece was deemed by an inspector as inferior in some way to the Tiffany ideal of a finished product, the reason for same is certainly not obvious to us today in holding this piece in hand. It is every bit as nice as others we have handled and a lovely example overall. Just 150 examples of this medal were authorized to be produced by Tiffany in bronze. Today, Saint-Gaudens Roosevelt inaugural medal is recognized as one of the most historic of all American medals. Though much of the actual design and modeling work was accomplished by Saint-Gaudens famous assistant Adolph Weinman, Saint-Gaudens used his position at the forefront of American sculpture to not only lead this project, but capture the imagination of President Roosevelt. Their relationship has been well documented and led to the creation of not only Saint-Gaudens classic double eagle and eagle designs, but the other first-rate coinage designs of the early 20th century. Ranked number 27 among the 100 Greatest American medals and tokens, this is the highest ranked 20th century medal. Today, it is a numismatic landmark.
