RZM Fine Arts and Antiques Inc: Ask the Appraiser

Greetings to you Jon and thank you for this most enjoyable and informative article each week. Hope you can help us with this pin that has been in my family for a very long time. About a week ago my wife was cleaning out our storage space. What a job that was! She found this pin in an old wooden match box. I had not seen this pin since I was a teenager. She was getting ready to put this pin in the garbage bag with the other stuff she had decided to throw away. When I saw it, I grabbed it and decided to contact you. So here it is. Once again, I’m hoping my photos will help you. After all these years, I really would like to know what it is and what it could be worth. If it turns out to be of no value, then she can throw it out. Thank you for your time and expertise.

Mark 

Do I have a surprise for you, Mark. First, I am very pleased that you prevented this rare medal from being thrown into the waste. Secondly, I can easily identify your medal because I happen to own one myself. I even have the original box that the medal came in. I will include a photograph of the original box for you to see. Mark, I’m happy to inform you that the commemorative medal you possess is a rare and important, solid 18K gold Ulysses S. Grant Municipal Monument Committee medal, produced in a very limited quantity by Tiffany & Company in 1897. The medal features the highly detailed gold profile of President Grant over white and cobalt blue enamel. You’ll notice the medal is in the shape of Grant’s monument, which is located on Riverside Drive and West 122nd street in New York City. When Grant died in July of 1885, the mayor of New York City, Robert Van Wyk, sent a telegram to Grant’s wife Julia offering a burial ground for both Grant and his wife. Keep in mind Grant had been a General in the United States Army and was entitled to be buried in a military cemetery such as West Point. However, there was one problem. Grant’s wish was to be buried with his wife Julia. That meant he could not be buried in a military cemetery. At that time in American history, women were not permitted to be buried in United States military cemeteries. Grant’s wife Julia then wrote to several prominent New Yorkers requesting monetary support to build this monument. People that contributed money were given the medal that you currently possess. Please note the photograph that I have supplied, of the original box, it is signed Tiffany & Co. One more bit of information as to the current value of this medal, one recently sold at Heritage auction in Dallas, Texas for $3,000 USD. Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece of American history with our readers and please make sure your wife reads this article!