1854 Medal Commodore M.C.Perry Japan Trade Agreement Bronze

Coin Details

Description

This 1854 bronze medal commemorates Commodore Matthew C. Perry's Japan Trade Agreement — the Convention of Kanagawa that opened Japanese ports to American trade after two centuries of isolation. Perry's "Black Ships" expedition of 1853-1854 fundamentally altered Japanese history, beginning the modernization that transformed Japan into a major world power within fifty years. This bronze version complemented the silver (PCGS #766233). The medallic commemorative tradition in America accelerated during the centennial celebrations of the late nineteenth century, with the 1876 Centennial Exposition generating an unprecedented number of medallic issues. Institutional support for medal collecting through libraries, museums, and educational programs has helped establish these pieces as legitimate subjects for scholarly research alongside their traditional role as collectible objects. Perry Japan medals are among the most historically significant American commemoratives of the 1850s.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Commodore Perry Japan Trade Agreement medal, bronze, 1854.

Cross References

PCGS #767809; Commodore Perry; Japan Trade Agreement; Convention of Kanagawa; Bronze; 1854