1961 John F. Kennedy Presidential Art Medals Company Inaugural Medal Process Set
Although for purposes of this webpage this medal is classified as a "pretender" its process set is still an interesting item worthy of inclusion. Presidential Art Medals, Inc., of Englewood, Ohio started this interesting series of presidential medals in the early 1960's. They enlisted the design talents of Ralph J Menconi to execute the high relief portraits of each president for the obverse and the Presidential Seal with the President's inauguration date for the reverse. He executed the designs for the first 36 medals - Washington through Nixon. After Mr. Menconi's death Presidential Art Medals struggled to find artists capable of continuing the series in the style and quality of Mr. Menconi's work, but artists were found and the series continues to this day. The striking of all the medals was contracted with Medallic Art Company.
The process set consists of eight examples of the Kennedy medal pulled from production at various stages. They are mounted in a Lucite block measuring 5.5 inches high by 8 inches wide and varying in thickness from 1.5 inches at the base to three-quarter inches at the top. The story of how this set came to be is quite interesting. In a recent conversation with the original founder and owner of Presidential Art Medals I learned that it all started with an exhibit at an American Numismatic Association convention in the early 1960s. He thought that collectors would be interested in all the stages required to produce a high relief medal so he had Medallic Art produce a couple of process sets of the Kennedy Presidential series medal. He had one suspended in plastic and prepared his ANA exhibit. The interest in the set exceeded even his expectations and by the end of the convention he was taking orders for additional sets. The set eventually was feature in their catalog and was produced in quantities of a one to two dozen at a time as demand dictated. Over the years he estimated that somewhere between three and four hundred of these sets were made and sold. Where are they all today? Let the search begin!
Although the process set proved popular, the Kennedy medal was the only Presidential Art Medals' issue produced and sold as such.
(Hey, does anyone out there have any extra copies of old Presidential Art Medals' catalogs they would be willing to part with. If so please contact me at boitnott@coins-n-medals.com)
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