Ronald Reagan - Illinois Seal Bronze Antique

Ronald Wilson Reagan, America's 40th President, is one of the most celebrated political figures in the nation's history.

Born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan moved with his family to the small town of Dixon, Illinois in 1920, where he spent the remainder of his childhood.

After completing his studies at Illinois' Eureka College in 1932, Reagan accepted a job as a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs baseball team. In 1937, while covering the Cubs' Spring Training in California, Reagan indulged his longtime interest in acting, completing a screen test with the Warner Brother Motion Picture Studio which ultimately led to his storied and highly successful film career.

After serving as President of the Screen Actors Guild and as the National Spokesman for General Electric, Ronald Reagan officially entered politics in 1966, when he ran successfully as the Republican candidate for Governor in California, defeating the incumbent Pat Brown. Reagan served as Governor of the "Golden State" for two terms, stepping down in 1975 to seek the Republican Party nomination for President.

Unsuccessful in his 1976 bid for the nomination, he was chosen by the Republican Party to run against President Jimmy Carter in the Election of 1980, easily defeating Carter to become the 40th President of the United States. After surviving an attempt on his life, successfully reviving a sluggish economy, and strengthening America's hand against the Soviet Union, Reagan was re-elected in 1984 by one of the largest majorities in U.S. history.

In 2004, Reagan died at the age of 93 in his home in California. Renowned for his unyielding optimism and his deep faith in the promise of America, he will forever be remembered as one of America's truly great Presidents.

As part of the Illinois Commemorative Medallion Series, this coin pays tribute to one of that state's most beloved and famous sons, Ronald Wilson Reagan. The obverse features a rendering of the "Great Communicator." The reverse bears the seal of the State of Illinois.

Minted in a brass alloy, this coin is finished in antique bronze. Each coin comes packaged with a certificate of authenticity that highlights Ronald Reagan's lasting legacy.