(1899) Bronze Token Rulau Phl-79, Philadelphia Exposition PA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$43 MS64BN 05-25-2024 eBay

Description

Bronze commemorative or souvenir token from the National Export Exposition held in Philadelphia, September 14 to November 30, 1899. This exposition showcased American manufacturing and export capabilities as the United States emerged as a global industrial power. The official exposition medal, signed by Quint & Sons, features a female figure blowing a trumpet with the legend FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AMERICAN MFR'S AND THE EXTENSION OF EXPORT TRADE. Philadelphia hosted numerous industrial, commercial, and trade expositions during the Gilded Age, building on the city's tradition as America's premier exposition venue since the landmark 1876 Centennial Exposition. Exposition tokens served as souvenirs and admission records. Bronze, 28mm. During the peak of Gilded Age prosperity, merchant tokens achieved their most sophisticated designs, as businesses invested in die work that could compete for attention in an increasingly crowded advertising landscape.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Late 19th-century Philadelphia exposition token. Philadelphia's long exposition tradition generated numerous commemorative pieces, but individual issues are often scarce. The 1899 date places this at the dawn of the 20th century and America's emergence as a world power.

Cross References

Rulau Phi-79 (Phl-79); PCGS #908460