(c.1858) Medal Cyrus W. Field Bronze 51mm

Coin Details

Auction Record

$600 SP64 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This bronze medal at 51mm diameter from circa 1858 honors Cyrus W. Field, the American businessman who conceived and executed the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable. Field's perseverance through multiple failed attempts — the cable broke or failed repeatedly between 1857 and 1866 — before ultimately achieving a permanent connection is one of the great stories of nineteenth-century technological achievement. The first successful temporary cable in 1858 transmitted Queen Victoria's congratulatory message to President Buchanan, an event celebrated worldwide as one of the greatest achievements of the age. The 51mm bronze format is substantial enough for a presentation piece commemorating this engineering triumph. Field invested his personal fortune and reputation in the project, which required laying 2,500 miles of cable across the Atlantic Ocean floor. The successful permanent cable in 1866 fundamentally transformed international communication, reducing transatlantic message delivery from weeks to minutes and creating the first real-time connection between the Old and New Worlds.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Cyrus W. Field transatlantic cable medals are collected by both numismatists and communications history enthusiasts.

Cross References

PCGS #798416; Cyrus W. Field; Transatlantic Telegraph Cable; 51mm Bronze; c.1858