1915 Bronze Medal Panama-Pacific Expo 38mm CA Souvenir Penny

Coin Details

Description

The 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition bronze medal at 38mm is a California souvenir penny from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco from February 20 to December 4, 1915. The exposition celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and the recovery of San Francisco from the devastating 1906 earthquake. The fair occupied 635 acres in what is now the Marina District, drawing nearly nineteen million visitors over its ten-month run. The "souvenir penny" designation indicates this was a popular-grade commemorative intended for casual fairgoers, typically sold or distributed at exposition entrances and souvenir stands. At 38mm in bronze, it matched the standard size used by the U.S. Mint for official medal duplicates, lending it a quasi-official appearance. The obverse features exposition-related imagery — the Tower of Jewels, the Palace of Fine Arts, or symbolic figures representing the canal's completion — while the reverse carries California and exposition inscriptions. The Panama-Pacific Exposition was notable in numismatic history as the occasion for the only authorized U.S. fifty-dollar gold commemorative coins (round and octagonal) and other official commemorative coins. Beyond the official coinage, the exposition generated an enormous variety of medals, tokens, badges, and souvenir items that collectively form one of the richest areas of American exposition numismatics. The 38mm bronze souvenir penny represents the most accessible tier of this material.

Rarity Notes

Panama-Pacific Exposition souvenir pennies were produced in large quantities for the nearly nineteen million visitors to the fair. Common in the secondary market, though condition varies widely.

Cross References

PCGS #675895; Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco 1915