1876 White Metal Medal GW-880, Union Forever

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,120 MS64 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1876 medal GW-880 in white metal bears the patriotic inscription "Union Forever," connecting the Centennial celebration to the recent preservation of the Union during the Civil War. The "Union Forever" slogan, which had appeared on Civil War tokens and medals throughout the 1861-1865 conflict, took on added resonance during the Centennial as Americans celebrated both the founding of the republic and its survival. White metal was the standard medium for mass-produced Centennial souvenirs. GW-880 represents the category of Centennial medals that explicitly linked the 1776 founding to the Civil War preservation of the Union — a narrative arc that was central to the way Americans understood their national history in the 1870s. The medal documents the post-Civil War interpretation of American history that saw the Revolution and the Civil War as two chapters in a single story of liberty and union.

Rarity Notes

White metal. Union Forever Centennial medal. Standard souvenir composition.

Cross References

Musante-Baker GW-880; PCGS #788449; Union Forever