Updated on January 16: This has been sold.
Souvenir medal of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition designed to commemorate the event and the achievements of Christopher Columbus.
On the front, Christopher Columbus and the date, October 12, 1492 and on the back,
"World's Columbian Exposition
In commemoration of the
Four Hundredth Anniversary
of the Landing of Columbus
MDCCCXCII • MDCCCXCIII"
According to ExpositionMedals.com:
"the award medal presented to exhibitors and participants who demonstrated excellence in their respective fields at the exposition. It was made in various metals, including bronze, silver, gilt and gold. This doesn’t seem to be because of the level of the award, but maybe as the choice of the medal winners who paid the extra cost if other than bronze. This medal came in a white medal [aluminum] case. The US Mint made the hubs and dies of this medal while the actual striking of the medals was farmed out to the Scovill Manufacturing Company, which painstakingly produced 23,597 medals, creating and replacing the insert die for each individual awardee between strikings. The medals were ready only in 1896, long after the Expo had ended and closed."
"This medal from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Charles E. Barber, serves both as a commemorative piece and an award for excellence. Its intricate design and historical significance make it a prized collectible among medal enthusiasts and historians."
Note that the case is not the one that came with the medal.
Size: 3"
Shipping: $10. Please allow two weeks for shipping.