1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Gold Quarter Token - X-Tn1

Coin Details

Auction Record

$715 MS66 01-03-2023 eBay

Description

The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition gold quarter token, cataloged as X-Tn1 in its series, is a small gold souvenir piece produced in connection with the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, from April 30 through December 1, 1904. The World's Fair commemorated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, the 1803 land acquisition that doubled the size of the United States, and attracted approximately 20 million visitors during its seven-month run. Small gold tokens were popular souvenirs at major expositions and world's fairs throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The quarter-denomination gold piece combined genuine precious metal content with an affordable price point, making it an attractive keepsake for fairgoers. These tokens were typically sold at the exposition grounds for a premium over their face value, with the markup covering production costs and providing profit to the concessionaire. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was one of the largest world's fairs ever held, spanning 1,271 acres in Forest Park and featuring exhibitions from 62 countries. The fair also gave rise to official commemorative gold dollars authorized by Congress — the Jefferson and McKinley types — making 1904 an unusually rich year for gold commemorative and souvenir pieces. The X-Tn1 gold quarter token is a privately produced companion to these official issues, providing fairgoers with a smaller and less expensive gold souvenir option.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Louisiana Purchase Exposition gold tokens survive in moderate numbers due to the fair's enormous attendance. Approximately 50-100 examples of this variety exist. Many were pierced or mounted as jewelry.

Cross References

PCGS #519176; HK X-Tn1 (Louisiana Purchase Exposition Token)