As a collector who specializes in commemorative coins, I was intrigued when I first heard the story of how the Washington quarter was originally intended to be a commemorative issue to mark the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. While digging a bit deeper into the Washington quarter's commemorative roots, I also learned about the Washington Bicentennial Commission. It turns out that the Commission also sponsored a commemorative medal that was authorized by the U.S. Congress and struck by the U.S. Mint. Being also a collector of U.S. commemorative medals, this was a truly exciting personal discovery!

The medal was designed by Laura Gardin Fraser; the winner of an open design competition sponsored by the Bicentennial Commission. By 1932, Fraser was well known in numismatic circles for her numerous coin and medal designs. Her work had recently been featured on the Alabama Centennial (1921), Grant Memorial (1922), Fort Vancouver (1925), and Oregon Trail (1926) commemorative coins. And her growing body of medallic work included the John Endicott Massachusetts Bay Tercentenary medal (1930), the "Hunter and Grouse" medal (1930; the first medal issued by the Society of Medalists), and the Congressional Medal of Honor for Charles Lindbergh (1928).

The Washington Bicentennial piece features a left facing portrait of Washington in a military uniform on the obverse. The design is said to be based on Augustus St. Gaudens' 1889 medal that commemorated the centennial of Washington's inauguration as our first president.
The reverse features Lady Liberty holding a sword and a torch in her outstretched hands while she stands proudly on the prow of a symbolic "ship of state." She is flanked by the legend PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT THE LAND.

The medal was struck in both silver and bronze, and is found in both 2-3/4" and 2-1/2" sizes. The pieces were struck as awards for winners of sponsored events and contests as well as for service to the commission. A single piece in platinum was also struck and presented to President Herbert Hoover as part of the official bicentennial celebration ceremonies.

An interesting side note to this commemorative medal is the fact that Fraser also entered and won the competition for the quarter dollar design. Andrew Mellon, the Secretary of the Treasury at the time, ultimately selected John Flanagan's design, however, so Fraser had to settle for only one of the two U.S. Mint struck Washington Bicentennial commemoratives that she rightly should have been able to add to her list of credits.

Until next month, Happy Collecting!

ã Copyright Raleigh Coin Club   -  2001, 2002

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