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The Presidents of the United States were among the more popular Franklin Mint subjects, and as a result there was a dizzying array of different sets, including the History of the American Presidency, Presidential Campaign, Presidential Inaugural, White House Historical Association Presidential Medals, Presidential Treasury, and Presidents and First Ladies. And that’s just the medals, then there were also several different sets of ingots. This particular set shows portraits of Presidents while they were in office. It was issued in 4 different sizes and 4 different medals, and on behalf of several different companies (American Express and Shell Oil Co) in addition to the Franklin Mint itself. The different issuers usually did their own documentation, so you will see different paperwork with the sets also. To put it mildly, it’s hard to keep track of all the variations of the President medals! And then to make it even more complicated, many of the sets issued additional medals for new Presidents (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush) after they were elected, and some offered new packaging to hold all of the medals, while others just left the additional medals by themselves, so you will find Presidential sets of 36, 37, 38, and some 39 pieces. This particular set (first one in the table below), in the 36 medal Sterling Silver American Express Edition, is among the more frequently seen Presidential sets. For a separate description of the Platinum Edition, see the Presidents Platinum Edition page.

Mintage Information: Franklin Mint