The United States Mint will begin selling the United States Navy Bronze Medal next week. The 1.5-inch medal, bearing the same Obverse and Reverse designs as the Navy silver medal, will go on sale at Noon Eastern on August 8. The medal is 95% copper and is priced at an affordable $20 per medal. There is no production or household purchase limit on the Navy Bronze medal.
The obverse (heads) design depicts the U.S. Navy destroyer John Paul Jones cutting through the water while the U.S.S. Constitution sails behind it. An F-18 Hornet formation flies by, leaving smoke trails in the sky, paying honor to both ships. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES NAVY” and “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP,” the latter spoken by mortally wounded Commander James Lawrence to his crew on the U.S.S. Chesapeake during the War of 1812. The reverse (tails) design features a line of sailors manning the rail while the American flag flies in the background. The inscriptions are the Navy’s core values, “HONOR,” “COURAGE,” and “COMMITMENT.”
Unlike the silver military medals, the bronze medals do not sell as fast and should be available for many months.