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Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:08 pm
by highroller4321
I emailed the JFK library and they replies with this:

Dear Mr. Youngs:

According to the description of the Kennedy-Adenauer Munich medal in my source, _Medallic Portraits of John F. Kennedy_, by Edward C. Rochette (Iola, WI: Krause Pulblications, 1966), there was a 60 mm gold medal struck in two planchet sizes. A thousand were struck in the thicker size, 2000 in the thinner. The medals were numbered. Likewise, the medal was also struck in two planchet sizes in 50 mm, numbering 2500 and 3000 respectively. Four other sizes were struck in gold: 40, 32, 26, and 20 mm. I do not have minting numbers for those. Finally, a 40 mm version was struck in silver. That run apparently only totaled 1000.

Sincerely,

Stephen Plotkin
Reference Archivist
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:14 pm
by Lemon Thrower
It's worth recalling, again, President John F. Kennedy's use of a German phrase while standing before the Berlin Wall. It would be great, his wordsmiths thought, for him to declare himself a symbolic citizen of Berlin. Hence, Ich bin ein Berliner. What they did not know, but could easily have found out, was that such citizens never refer to themselves as 'Berliners.' They reserve that term for a favorite confection often munched at breakfast. So, while they understood and appreciated the sentiments behind the President's impassioned declaration, the residents tittered among themselves when he exclaimed, literally, "I am a jelly-filled doughnut."

— William J. Miller, "I Am a Jelly-Filled Doughnut", The New York Times, April 30, 1988[11]

There is an entire wikipedia article on this phrase. While people can after the fact defend his grammar, the fact is that the germans thought it was a gaffe even if they knew what he meant. It would be like saying I am a hamburger or I am a frankfurter.

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:32 pm
by 68Camaro
Yep, and "I am a New Yorker" means I am a magazine. I believe way too much is being made of this by non-Germans. Everything I'm aware of indicates that the context was perfectly clear at the time and the sentiments well-respected - outside of a few teen-age giggles.

Great FIND Adam!

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:45 pm
by highroller4321
Back on track everyone....

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:06 pm
by highroller4321
I am starting to think this thing might have some "real" value.

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:59 pm
by highroller4321
Dear Mr. Youngs:

The medals were distributed to honor the visit to Germany generally, not for any particular event during it. Furthermore, they were also distributed in this country. According to Aubrey Mayhew's book, _The World's Tribute to John F. Kennedy in Medallic Art : Medals, Coins and Tokens--an Illustrated Standard Reference_, the medals were sold for prices ranging from $310 for the largest down to $6.00 for the smallest.


Sincerely,

Stephen Plotkin
Reference Archivist
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:32 pm
by Lemon Thrower
i would send an email to a coin auction house like Stack's.

Re: Found a JFK gold medal today

PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:37 pm
by daviscfad
Or heritage