(1853) Silver Medal J-AM-16, New York Industry of All Nations

Coin Details

Auction Record

$384 UNC Details 08-22-2018 Stack's Bowers

Description

This silver medal, cataloged as J-AM-16, commemorates the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations held in New York in 1853, America's first world's fair. Inspired by London's Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851, the New York exhibition was housed in a purpose-built Crystal Palace at what is now Bryant Park. The exhibition showcased American and international industrial achievements, technological innovations, and manufactured goods to an audience of over a million visitors. The silver composition indicates this was a premium version of the commemorative medal. The J-AM-16 catalog designation places it within the Julian American Medal series. The 1853 exhibition marked America's debut as a host of international industrial expositions, a role the nation would embrace with increasing ambition through the Philadelphia Centennial (1876), the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition (1893), and numerous subsequent fairs. The Crystal Palace itself burned in 1858, making surviving artifacts from the exhibition particularly valued.

Rarity Notes

J-AM-16, silver composition. Industry of All Nations Exhibition 1853. Limited production. New York Crystal Palace. Scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #678273; Julian AM-16; New York Industry of All Nations Medal, Silver; 1853 Crystal Palace Exhibition