John Wayne Medal - Official US Mint?

No, you got it all wrong. It's a COIN, not a medal.

And it's numbered......

Couldn't find the 'Official United States Mint' on the net. All I could find was the regular US mint. Go figure.

This is sort of a "trick" question.

The medal listed is, in fact, a US Mint medal. It is a small ("miniature") bronze version of the gold medal authorized for John Wayne by the US Congress in 1979 (it was presented in 1980).

The gold plating, however, occurred after it left the Mint. More than one group has created and sold gold-plated versions of the small bronze medal over the years.

The bronze duplicates of the Wayne Congressional gold medal were very popular at the time of their release and can typically be found with minimal searching. They are available in a large 3" size and a small 1-5/16" size like the one listed on ebay.

Hope that helps!

"distinctive edgemark", is that where they held the poor medal to dip it?