Info On 1925 California Jubilee Medal / Coin

If you can get in touch with a member named Commems, he would know

From the blurry picture, it's impossible to authenticate your piece, but based on what I can see of the design on the medal and the ribbon colors it does appear to be an example of the "Official Badge" that was made for the 1925 California Jubilee.

These were made in addition to the "souvenir" half-dollars that the Jubilee's organizing committee had struck by the US Mint in San Francisco. These types of badges often served multiple purposes at these events, including being a souvenir, a competition award/prize and/or an indication that the wearer was in some way connected to the group sponsoring the event (such as a committee member).

The California Jubilee had a long list of organizing committees to help ensure the entire celebration was organized and ran smoothly -- literally hundreds of folks served in one capacity or another. Among the various committees was a 12-member Badges Committee.

I checked out the lot listing from the auction house you included, and was surprised to see the statement regarding "less than 75 exist." I've seen a fair number of these over the years at coin shows and via online auction sites; based on my sample, I would not have thought the remaining examples would be so few -- I'm curious about the source of the figure. I don't have any "hard facts" to dispute it, however, just my personal observations.

The final price of the piece was also a bit of a surprise (no doubt driven by the listed surviving population figure). It is the first piece that I recall seeing that sold for more than $100. The auction piece appears to be in fairly nice condition, but it does show some wear on the high points and a few corrosion spots; the ribbon is in very nice condition. I wouldn't think its condition drove the high selling price.

Recorded details on these types of pieces are often limited as they were not a central element of staging the fair or exposition of which they were a part. I hope the little bit I've provided is of some use to you. I'll dig out mine and post an image soon so that you have another piece to compare against.

Anyone else have any info on these ar have a pic of theirs?