File:Barack Obama (First Term) Bronze Medal, 3 Inch, obverse.jpg

English: Barack Obama (First Term) Bronze Medal, 3 Inch, obverse. Produced to honor our nation’s past presidents, Presidential medals are part of a continuing series. All medals feature a bust of the president on the obverse. The medals are designed by the U.S. Mint’s engraving staff. The design is then approved by the incoming president’s Presidential Inaugural Committee or Medals Committee. The coins are struck in two sizes, 3-inch and 1.312-inch diameters. A 3-inch high-relief gold version is presented to the president. The bronze versions, composed of 90% copper and 10% zinc, for both the 3-inch and 1.312-inch sizes are struck for sale to the public. Like all medals produced by the U.S. Mint, these bronze duplicates (90% copper, 10% zinc), or “List Medals” are only produced with an authorization from Congress (US Mint Catalog).