MCMV (1905) Theodore Roosevelt Official Inaugural Medal. By Augustus

Choice 1905 Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Medal by Saint-Gaudens A Legendary American Artwork with a Royal Provenance MCMV (1905) Theodore Roosevelt Official Inaugural Medal. By Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Dusterberg-OIM 2B74, MacNeil-TR 1905-2, Levine-TR 1905-2, Baxter-78, Dryfhout-197. Bronze, Cast. Tiffany Edge Mark. MS-64 (PCGS). 74.0 mm. Edge boldly marked TIFFANY & CO. just right of 6 o'clock. An especially beautiful example of this legendary American medal, the first collaboration between President Theodore Roosevelt and America's leading sculptor of the era, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The patina is even and unspotted, far prettier than most of these, with rich chestnut brown perfectly applied and well preserved on both sides. The edge mark is crisp and complete, bolder than some others seen; it's also nicely visible in the PCGS holder. With its immaculate surfaces and fine details, this medal could seemingly be graded a point or two higher, but the as-made surface of a cast medal rarely receives such plaudits at the grading services. PCGS has only graded one Roosevelt Inaugural medal higher than this one, a Specimen-65 example (from when PCGS still used the SP moniker instead of MS) that brought $57,600 in our November 2021 sale. It is altogether one of the most desirable examples we've ever seen, outpacing the PCGS MS-61 example in our June 2026 sale at $41,480. The provenance of this piece is of interest, and it serves to underscore the importance of this medal as a work of American art. This piece was sold by Spink in London as part of a framed display given by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III to Saudi Prince Bandar. The prince's full title "HRH Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud" appears on the PCGS label. While we weren't able to find the story of this medal's presentation - it didn't make the papers at the time - we can narrow it down a bit. Baker served as Secretary of State from January 1989 to August 1992. He also served as White House Chief of Staff for both Ronald Reagan (1981-1985) and George H.W. Bush (1992-1993). Prince Bandar was a close ally of the Reagan White House and developed especially close friendships with members of the Bush family. As Saudi Ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005, Prince Bandar developed a close relationship with Baker as their careers continued to coincide. So while it is difficult to pinpoint the exact occasion for the gift, the thoughtfulness of a medal this beautiful and important suggests how close the friendship became. Perhaps coincidentally, Reagan's White House Chief of Protocol, who worked on many royal visits and the gifts that would attend to them, was Selwa Roosevelt, who married Teddy's grandson Archibald Roosevelt, Jr. (Roosevelt certainly met Prince Bandar at Reagan White House events, but may have already known him from his long high ranking CIA career in the Middle East.) Institutions hold a large proportion of the survivors of this medal, a testament to Saint-Gaudens' stature and the importance of this medal in his career. Only 150 of these were authorized for production by Tiffany, though it's unknown if the examples of this medal that lack the edge mark were been included in that number. This has always been among the most desirable American inaugural medals for specialists, but its close association with Saint-Gaudens' later Indian $10 reverse and the well documented connection between the sculptor and the sitter makes this medal desirable to a broader audience than most. If this one is fit for a prince, it's bound to be the centerpiece in any numismatic cabinet. PCGS Population: 2; 1 finer (Specimen-65).

Estimation:€0.89

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