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PNRF Case Study No. 3

  • Writer: Darryl Gomez
    Darryl Gomez
  • Aug 4
  • 2 min read

Updated: Aug 7

Level 3 - Presidential Provenance


Presidential Association Established Through Official Documentation


A case study demonstrating the application of the Presidential Numismatic Research Framework (PNRF).


Figure A. President Eisenhower 1960 Paris Summit Appreciation Medal (DDE-C2-02). Obverse and reverse of the official United States Mint silver appreciation medal manufactured for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's use in preparation for the May 1960 Paris Summit, one of the most significant Cold War diplomatic initiatives of the Eisenhower administration.
Figure A. President Eisenhower 1960 Paris Summit Appreciation Medal (DDE-C2-02). Obverse and reverse of the official United States Mint silver appreciation medal manufactured for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's use in preparation for the May 1960 Paris Summit, one of the most significant Cold War diplomatic initiatives of the Eisenhower administration.


Figure B. Director of the Mint memorandum documenting the Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program. Official White House correspondence from the Director of the United States Mint to the Office of the Military Aide to the President, dated December 23, 1960, records the appreciation medals manufactured for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's use and identifies the quantities produced for each medal type. This reproduced page is from Authoritative Numismatic Reference: Presidential Medal of Appreciation Series 1958–1963 by Darryl A. Gomez, PhD. The memorandum documents the complete Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program, including Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 medals, and provides primary documentary evidence supporting the PNRF Level 3 evaluation. Source: Authoritative Numismatic Reference: Presidential Medal of Appreciation Series 1958–1963 (Darryl A. Gomez, PhD), reproduced with permission of the author. A related United States Treasury–White House destruction inventory memorandum documenting the disposition of surplus appreciation medals is examined in a subsequent PNRF Case Study.
Figure B. Director of the Mint memorandum documenting the Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program. Official White House correspondence from the Director of the United States Mint to the Office of the Military Aide to the President, dated December 23, 1960, records the appreciation medals manufactured for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's use and identifies the quantities produced for each medal type. This reproduced page is from Authoritative Numismatic Reference: Presidential Medal of Appreciation Series 1958–1963 by Darryl A. Gomez, PhD. The memorandum documents the complete Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program, including Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 medals, and provides primary documentary evidence supporting the PNRF Level 3 evaluation. Source: Authoritative Numismatic Reference: Presidential Medal of Appreciation Series 1958–1963 (Darryl A. Gomez, PhD), reproduced with permission of the author. A related United States Treasury–White House destruction inventory memorandum documenting the disposition of surplus appreciation medals is examined in a subsequent PNRF Case Study.

Figure C. The eight President Eisenhower Class 2 Appreciation Medals manufactured by the United States Mint for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's use. Catalog designations (DDE-C2-01 through DDE-C2-08) follow the author's published classification and identify the complete Class 2 series within the Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program.
Figure C. The eight President Eisenhower Class 2 Appreciation Medals manufactured by the United States Mint for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's use. Catalog designations (DDE-C2-01 through DDE-C2-08) follow the author's published classification and identify the complete Class 2 series within the Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program.


PNRF Assessment

Classification: Level 3 – Presidential Provenance

Presidential Connection:  Official United States Mint appreciation medal manufactured for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's official use in connection with the planned 1960 Paris Summit.

Official Presidential Association:  Established through contemporaneous United States Mint and White House documentation identifying the medal as part of the official Eisenhower Appreciation Medal Program manufactured for the President's use.

Documented Provenance: No. Individual specimen provenance has not been established; however, official program documentation confirms the medal's presidential association.

Evaluation Basis:  Classification is based upon official United States Mint documentation establishing presidential purpose, combined with documented historical context connecting the medal to the 1960 Paris Summit program.

Historical Significance:  Represents an official presidential appreciation medal produced for President Eisenhower's planned participation in the 1960 Paris Summit. The medal documents the intersection of United States Mint production, presidential diplomacy, and Cold War history.

Research Confidence: High. 

PNRF Takeaway:  This case study demonstrates that presidential association is established through official documentary evidence rather than by physical examination of the medal alone. The Director of the Mint memorandum confirms that the medal was manufactured for President Eisenhower's use, while the historical context explains its relationship to the planned 1960 Paris Summit. The PNRF distinguishes documented presidential association from individual specimen provenance, illustrating how evidence establishes historical significance.


About This Case Study Series

Each PNRF Case Study demonstrates the application of the Presidential Numismatic Research Framework to a specific presidential numismatic object through documented evidence, historical context, and provenance. Collectively, the series illustrates the consistent application of the Framework across all four levels of presidential association.



 
 
 

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