(1974) Medal U.S. Customhouse Bronze Galena, IL

Coin Details

Description

This bronze medal from 1974 depicts the United States Customhouse in Galena, Illinois, part of a series honoring historic federal customhouse buildings. Galena, a small town in northwestern Illinois, was once one of the wealthiest cities in the state due to its lead mining industry and its position as a major river port on the Galena River, a tributary of the Mississippi. The Galena Customhouse, built in 1857-1858 in the Italianate style, served as a combined federal building housing the post office, customs office, and other government functions. Galena is best known as the hometown of Ulysses S. Grant, who lived there before the Civil War. The town's mid-nineteenth-century prosperity left a remarkable concentration of antebellum architecture that has been preserved largely intact. This medal documents one of the more unexpected customhouse locations in the series, reflecting the importance of inland river commerce in nineteenth-century American trade.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Part of the 1974 U.S. Customhouse medal series. Bronze. Galena, Illinois location adds historical interest.

Cross References

PCGS #917165; U.S. Customhouse Galena, IL; Federal Architecture Series 1974