(1974) Medal U.S. Customhouse Bronze New York City, NY

Coin Details

Description

This bronze medal from 1974 depicts the United States Customhouse in New York City, part of a series honoring historic federal customhouse buildings. The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, located at Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan, is a monumental Beaux-Arts building designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1907. The building features spectacular sculptures by Daniel Chester French (who also created the Lincoln Memorial statue) representing the four continents. New York's customhouse was the single most important revenue-generating facility in the federal government for most of American history, processing the majority of all imported goods entering the United States through the nation's busiest port. The building is named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, who established the customs service as the primary source of federal revenue. Now housing the National Museum of the American Indian, the building remains one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts civic architecture in the United States.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Part of the 1974 U.S. Customhouse medal series. Bronze. The New York Customhouse was the most important customs facility in U.S. history.

Cross References

PCGS #917168; U.S. Customhouse New York City, NY; Alexander Hamilton Custom House; Federal Architecture Series 1974