Commems Collection Classic: 1892 Columbian Exposition - Cousins

Next up in my ongoing series of "commemorative cousins" posts is a look at the US Mint souvenir medals that were struck on the grounds of the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 as an adjunct to the souvenir half-dollars it had struck for the organizers of the Exposition.

The story of the half-dollar is well-know among US collectors, it was the first US commemorative coin authorized by Congress and struck by the US Mint. Five million coins were authorized and struck, with 950,000 of the coins dated ‘1892' and the balance bearing an ‘1893' date. These coins were struck for the Exposition's organizers as a means by which to raise funds to stage the grand fair; they were sold for $1.00 each by the Exposition's Commission. The coin was not a sell-out, however, and approximately half of the 1893-dated coins were melted; a large number were also released into circulation at face value by the US Treasury and the Exposition Commission. Here's my PCGS MS-65 example.





The World's Columbian Exposition was a truly grand event, with approximately 200 buildings erected on grounds that covered 685 acres. It featured exhibits and displays from 46 different nations of the world, and was attended by more than 26 million visitors while it was open between May and October 1893.

The US Mint participated in the Exposition via an exhibit booth that included a working press. Oliver C. Bosbyshell, the Superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint, was charged with developing the Mint's plan for the Exposition exhibit. Bosbyshell's original plan included using the exhibit's press to strike actual US coinage. This idea was nixed by Treasury Secretary Charles Foster, however, so attention was then directed at striking souvenir medals. The medals were originally to be given away, but were ultimately charged for as the appropriation to the Mint for the exhibit was not funded well enough to support providing free medals to exhibit visitors.

President Grover Cleveland officially opened the fair on 1 May 1893. As part of his opening day activities, he visited the US Mint exhibit. To mark his visit to the exhibit, the Mint struck a quarter-sized brass medal that featured his portrait on the obverse and commemorative inscriptions on the reverse. The Mint knew of the planned visit in advance, so it had time to plan for the medal; the obverse portrait was reduced from Cleveland's US Mint "Presidents Series" medal which was originally prepared by Charles Barber. The medal was sold for 10 cents; it is believed that slightly over 17,300 of the medals were sold. Following is my NGC MS-64 example. The gold-plated brass medal exhibits wonderful cartwheel luster and very clean surfaces.





Seeing the popularity of the Cleveland medal, Bosbyshell instructed George Morgan to prepare dies for a larger, more elaborate medal. The new medal depicted the US Government Building on its obverse while the reverse once again featured commemorative inscriptions. There were two varieties of the new piece, with the distinction based on the size of the letters used for the inscription "U. S. Govt. Building" on the obverse. So, the two varieties are known as the "Large Letters" variety and "Small Letter" variety. The medals were sold for 25 cents each; a combined total of approximately 200,000 of this type of medal were sold. Following are my examples of each variety of this souvenir medal; 'Large Letters' then 'Small Letters' then common reverse.







The World's Columbian Exposition was well commemorated by contemporary medals and tokens from issuers in the US and around the world â€" the number is so large that a dedicated catalogue is available for the pieces. As US Mint struck products, however, these three medals are the only pieces with a true "family relation" to the Columbian Exposition souvenir half-dollar.