1915 Bronze Medal TC-214496, Pan-Pacific Expo Pan-Pacific Expo

Coin Details

Description

The 1915 TC-214496 bronze medal from the Panama-Pacific Exposition is cataloged in the Token Catalog reference system. This piece commemorates the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the grand world's fair held in San Francisco in 1915 that simultaneously celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and demonstrated San Francisco's remarkable recovery from the 1906 earthquake and fire. The TC (Token Catalog) numbering system provides a standardized reference for medals and tokens that may not appear in other specialized catalogs. At its core, this is another example of the profuse medallic output generated by the Panama-Pacific Exposition, which spawned hundreds of different commemorative pieces ranging from official U.S. Mint gold and silver issues to inexpensive brass and aluminum souvenirs. The bronze composition places this in the middle tier of exposition medals. The exposition's architectural centerpiece was the Tower of Jewels, a 435-foot structure covered with over 100,000 cut glass "novagems" that sparkled in the sunlight and were illuminated by searchlights at night. Bernard Maybeck's Palace of Fine Arts, the only exposition building that survives today, was constructed in a romantic classical style that evoked the ruins of ancient Rome. These and other fair structures provided rich subject matter for the medallic artists who produced the exposition's commemorative pieces.

Rarity Notes

Cataloged as TC-214496. Panama-Pacific Exposition medals in bronze are generally available in the secondary market, with the vast variety of types creating interest among specialized collectors.

Cross References

PCGS #937526; TC-214496; Panama-Pacific International Exposition 1915