(1864) Copper Medal GW-673, NY Sanitary Fair NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,680 MS64BN 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper medal cataloged as GW-673 commemorates the New York Sanitary Fair, held in 1864 as a massive fundraising event for the United States Sanitary Commission. The Sanitary Commission was a civilian organization that supported the health and welfare of Union soldiers through medical supplies, hospital ships, nursing care, and sanitary inspections of military camps. Sanitary fairs were held in major Northern cities throughout the war, raising millions of dollars through exhibitions, auctions, concerts, and sales of commemorative items like this medal. The New York Metropolitan Fair of April 1864 was among the largest, raising over one million dollars. Washington's portrait on this fair medal connected the wartime charitable effort to the founding father's precedent of service and sacrifice. The copper composition made this an affordable souvenir that fair attendees could purchase as both a donation and a keepsake of their participation in the home-front war effort.

Rarity Notes

GW-673, copper. NY Sanitary Fair medal. Fair souvenirs were produced in moderate quantities. Collected within both Civil War and Washington medal series.

Cross References

PCGS #785220; GW-673; NY Sanitary Fair, copper