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California Midwinter International Exposition


bill

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I know nothing about his small piece (the medal) is smaller than a dime and features the Lord's Prayer on the reverse. I seem to remember that pieces such as this (with the Lord's Prayer) were struck to demonstrate the skill of engraving in such a small size. I've got some digging to do to find the reference i think I remember unless someone with a better memory can save me some time.

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A small charm or medallette featuring the administration building on the reverse. The obverse reminds me of a standard design found on hard times tokens, so I suspect it was a stock die in some die sinker's cabinet. A simliar piece was struck for the 1895 Cotton States and international Exposition in Atlanta.

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1894 White Metal (Copper-Nickel?)

Director's Medal

Hibler and Kappen 248

40 mm VF

 

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Not the best preserved specimen, but the only one I have encountered since i started building the Midwinter Fair collection. The obverse features De Young, founder and director general of the fair.

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1894 Aluminum

Bird's Eye View - Five Edifaces So-Called Dollar

Hibler & Kappen 254

43.7 mm VF

 

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Not as nice as H&K 255 pictured earlier, but it fills a space in the collection until I'm willing to spend a lot more on an Unc example. All the Unc examples I have encountered were slabbed and graded. That seems to add $50 to $100 or more to the price of a so-called dollar. I don't get it and I'm reluctant to pay the premium since I don't have a registry set to build. I'll wait and find one some day unless I break down and free one from plastic that comes along reasonably priced.

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  • 2 months later...

1894 Aluminum

Lauer Exposition View So-Called Dollar

Hibler & Kappen 263

35.6 mm EF

 

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Obverse: State seal, signed LAUER at bottom.

 

Reverse: View of the Fine Arts Building, CALIFORNIA MIDWINTER INTERNAT. EXPOS. / SAN FRANCISCO 1894. FINE ARTS / BUILDING in exergue. LAUER NURNBERG in small letters below central image.

 

Lauer of Nürnberg, Germany won a gold medal at the exposition for their medal manufacturing exhibit. Six differerent medals were issued.

 

Upgraded the medal in August 2009:

 

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1894 Medal of Award

Gilt base metal

Base of medal only.

 

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I acquired the base of a Medal of Award on Ebay. I've not seen a full medal for sale, but I used my base to reconstruct the medal by making a composite with an image in the Exposition final report. The black-and-white image has been colorized by me based on information at hand. The ribbon color may not be correct.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

My latest acquisition is a coin box from the exposition with the top embossed with a design similar to that of Hibler & Kappen 250 (see above). The box is unsigned, but the image on the top of the box is definitely close to that of H&K 250 with a different inscription.

 

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  • 1 month later...

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Not long after acquiring the base of a medal of award and attempting a potential reconstruction from the base and a photograph, I managed to acquire an example in its original presentation box.

 

Compare the near chocolate bronze patina on the complete medal issued here and the gilt appearance on the base pictured above. The reverse of both medals appears to be the same (blank and apparently gilt or shiny brass). Perhaps gold and bronze medals? I have no evidence one way or the other.

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  • 3 weeks later...

A second coin box, this one a short stack and rarer than the one pictured above.

 

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The top of the box is a version of the California state seal. The bottom (on the right) is the same as the top of the tall stack pictured earlier in this thread. The box has been harshly polished over the years, but all material from the 1894 exposition is rare.

 

Larger image.

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  • 3 months later...
The central courtyard of the fair remains today in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park as the home of its museums. The Japanese Tea Garden built for the fair (upper left corner of the grounds below the bear's tail) still stands as a park attraction.

 

in fact, the musems on both side of that courtyard have been (recently) extensively renovated--the new DeYoung has been open for a while and the newly-renovated California Academy of Sciences is on the verge of reopening now . . .

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An unlisted so-called dollar, scarce but collectible. I can't say much about it at present. The reverse translates as Section of Spain, California 1894. The Electric Tower is close but not exactly that of the Mechanical Building so-called dollars. another version of this piece has the aluminum product reverse as found on Nobel and Childs medals. In any event, I have more work to do on this piece.

 

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1894 Aluminum

Electric Tower, Mechanics Art Building So-Called Dollar

Hibler & Kappen 251

38 mm Unc

 

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One of the so-called dollars definitely struck on site during the exposition. Counterstamped examples are known. This is the second in my collection.

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1894 Aluminum

State Seal, Exposition View So-Called Dollar

Hibler & Kappen 261

41 mm AU

 

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The reverse design (the exposition view) was the logo for the exposition planning commission.

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The California Midwinter International Exposition was held in San Francisco at a time when travel to the west coast was difficult. One would expect that most of the souvenirs would be found in San Francisco, but the 1906 earthquake and resultant fires destroyed much of San Francisco. When I look for pieces at shows, dealers generally say they feel these are among the rarest of the exposition pieces. I suspect that is true, but the number of specialist collectors is rather small. I'm four away from having all the known so-called dollars, although ny collection is far from the finest. I have all but three of the non-so-called dollars that I am aware of, but the real test is in what I don't know about. In all, I'm proud of the collection shown here, but I suspect there are one or more that are even better.

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1894 Aluminum

Lauer Administration Building So-Called Dollar

Hibler & Kappen 267

35 mm BU

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The Lauer Exhibition Palace so-called dollars were issued in a set of six. I've managed to collect Four of the six, although one is holed. My goal is an original set of 6 in their original holder. (Updated with better medal, 2/15/09.)

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Copper-plated mule of H&K 258 and 259

45 mm, EF

 

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This is only the second example of this medal that I am aware of. I saw the first after it was sold, I was lucky to acquire this piece. It is a mule of the first two so-called dollars that I posted in this series. The medals were made by Noble jewelers of Chicago. Why the mule? Many examples of add die pairings from the Columbian Exposition are known. I suspect it was people having fun at the presses. But why was this mule created, in something other than aluminum (some form of white metal), and then copper plated? It does make a handsome piece and is unlike anything else offered in San Francisco.

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One of the promotions used to attract people to the fair were special days. School kids, butchers, Chinese, whatever kind of group could be defined was defined and members had special days at the fair. Different groups issued badges or other "favors" for thise attending. Perhaps this patriotic badge is from one of the days.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Not long after acquiring the previous badge with American flag, I had an opportunity to acquire the original bear badge.

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The Chicago Columbian Exposition introduced rolled coins or elongates to the world. Catalogs record the use of Morgan dollars, Indian Head cents, copper nickel Indian heads, Flying Eagle cents, 2 cents, 3 cent nickel, Shield nickel, Liberty head nickel, Liberty Seated dime, Barber dime, Liberty Seated quarter, Barber half, US Trade dollar, Canadian cent, Canadian 5 cent silver, Britih half penny, British penny, German 3 Mark silver, and Hawaiian half dollar. All are rare and many have been recreated (i.e. modern restrikes or fantasies). Elongates were produced in San Francisco as well and are far fewer in number than those from Chicago. The one pictured here is an 1883 Liberty head nickel.

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