Medal - Mt. Rushmore Memorial Adult Regional Award, Medallic Art Co., NGC MS65 Gilt

Rare Mt. Rushmore Memorial Inscription Medal by Gutzon Borglum.

Undated (1934) Mt. Rushmore Memorial Inscription Adult Regional Award Medal. Gilt Bronze. 76 mm. By Gutzon Borglum. 

Obv: Bust of President Franklin Roosevelt and an enumeration of the Inscription Committee's officers and notable members. Rev: View of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in the half-length busts they were once intended to be carved in, with the engraved inscriptions ADULT / REGIONAL / AWARD / BALTIMORE AMERICAN and, on a sprig-emblazoned plaque, WILLIAM T. HAYDON in script. Edge: MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y. Mottled antique gold finish.

Other than the 1925 Stone Mountain Memorial commemorative half dollar, Gutzon Borglum's medallic works are seldom available. This one was the result of a nation-wide contest to write a short historical timeline of the United States, the "Entablature," which would be incorporated into the sculpture. The contest was held and a winner was selected, but it was determined that the inscription would be too difficult to read from below, and the plan was abandoned. These rare medals were awarded to high placing contestants whose essays were not selected.