Robert Hewitt Jr. was a successful real estate investor in Manhattan, New York, and a notable numismatist.
[2][3] In 1908, he endeavored for the creation of a medal to commemorate the centennial birth of Abraham Lincoln.
He commissioned esteemed French-American sculptor and medallist Jules Edouard Roiné for the design, "which is described as the most beautiful representation of Lincoln's features that has as yet been made.
[5] At the time of donation, the U.S. National Museum reported that the collection included “1,200 specimens of medallic souvenirs of President Lincoln, and includes medallions, plaques, medals, medalets, coins, tokens, and…campaign” items.
[6] Hewitt’s extensive collection of Lincolniana provided both an important historical and artistic view of Lincoln.