Ford for Sale

Many ex-Presidents have earned big bucks from their memoirs,TV appearances and lecture fees. But last week Gerald Ford went a step further: he endorsed a commercial product for money. At a ceremony at Philadelphia's Franklin Mint, one of the world's largest private manufacturers of coins, he struck the first of a series of 100 medals commemorating what are billed as "the most important events of the presidency."

The mint signed Ford last year to select the events--which include Ford's own Bicentennial address--and edit the accompanying texts. The ex-President's aide, Robert Barrett, would not disclose the fee, but he did point out, "Mr. Ford believes in the free-enterprise system." Considering some recent examples of huckstering by ex-politicians, such as the American Express endorsements by Watergate Senator Sam Ervin and onetime Vice-Presidential Candidate William ("Remember me?") Miller. Ford's venture might be said to have its sterling qualities. There is nothing shoddy about the product: a set of the medals in silver costs $1,950: in gold, $2,750.

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