1893 Medal Elgit-145 Aluminum World's Columbian Expo

Coin Details

Description

This 1893 aluminum medal, listed as Elgit-145 (alternate spelling of Eglit), was produced for the World's Columbian Exposition. The Eglit-145 design is one of the higher-numbered types in Levine's catalog, which generally — though not consistently — assigns numbers in rough order of documentation rather than chronological production. The aluminum composition continues the pattern of offering popular designs in the lightweight metal alongside more traditional bronze and white metal versions. The World's Columbian Exposition closed on October 30, 1893, just six months after its May 1 opening. In that brief span, the fair received approximately 27.5 million paid admissions — a staggering figure that represented nearly half the total population of the United States at the time. The souvenir industry that served this massive audience was commensurately vast, and medals like Eglit-145 were part of an enterprise that put commemorative metalwork into millions of American homes. The fair's cultural impact extended far beyond the physical boundaries of Jackson Park. The neoclassical architecture of the White City inspired the City Beautiful movement that reshaped American urban planning, the Midway Plaisance established the template for modern amusement parks, and the Exposition's intellectual congresses — including Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis — influenced American historical thought for decades.

Rarity Notes

Moderately available aluminum WCE medal. The Elgit-145 design is one of many aluminum types produced for the fair, and examples appear periodically in the market. Condition varies due to aluminum's softness.

Cross References

Eglit-145 (also spelled Elgit-145); PCGS #600466