Medal - 1961 Dated Augustus Saint-Gaudens Silver Medal NGC MS69

1961 Saint-Gaudens Commemorative Silver Medal. Silver, 75 mm, 218.7 gm. NGC has graded this specimen in the superior grade of MS69. This large medal contains approximately 7 troy ounces of .999 fine silver.

According to the literature that accompanied the medal when struck in 1961, it was "issued with the approval of the Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, to commemorate and honor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the greatest American sculptor, and one of the greatest sculptors of all time." Obverse: a scene reproduced from Saint-Gaudens' 1892 Eglit-90 World's Fair medal. Reverse: the sculptor's New Hampshire home studio and the obverse of his celebrated 1907 twenty dollar gold piece.

Aspet, Saint-Gaudens’ home and studio in Cornish, New Hampshire, which is depicted on this medal. Photo: Wikipedia.

This dramatic medal was designed by Toivo Johnson, a Finnish-American from “Down East” Maine. Johnson was an active coin dealer during the heady days of the 1936 commemorative coin boom and remained significant in numismatics thereafter. He planned to copy classic coin and medal designs—and adding his own touches—to get a finished product at minimal cost. He contracted with Metal Arts Co. in Rochester, New York. The design for his Augustus Saint-Gaudens medal were engraved by Robert Schabel, and the medals were produced in 76 mm diameter in .999 silver and bronze.

According to a 2012 report in Coin World written by David T. Alexander, “The Secret Service took a dim view of the coin imitation and after a stern interview, Johnson abandoned further coin copying. Sales were never strong and soon evaporated, leaving quantities of unsold remainders .… Indeed, most modern collectors first viewing them express amazement that such medals could ever have existed.”