No Date Medal Customhouse San Francisco Bronze 1 5/16"

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,602 PCGS Genuine 06-11-2022 eBay

Description

This undated bronze medal depicts the U.S. Customhouse in San Francisco, California, which served as the primary federal revenue collection point for goods arriving through the Golden Gate from Pacific Rim trading partners and beyond. San Francisco's customhouse was among the busiest in the nation during the Gold Rush era and throughout the late nineteenth century, processing enormous volumes of trade from China, Japan, Australia, and Latin America. The medal is part of the U.S. Mint's facility medal program documenting significant federal buildings. The obverse presents an architectural portrait of the San Francisco Customhouse, a building that represented the federal government's visible presence in a city that grew almost overnight from a small settlement to a major metropolis. The customhouse handled not only import duties but also served as a center for the enforcement of trade regulations, quarantine procedures, and immigration processing. San Francisco's position as the principal American port on the Pacific Ocean made its customs operations critical to national commerce and revenue throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The reverse features standard inscriptions identifying the medal and its subject. The 1 5/16 inch bronze format places this medal squarely within the standard souvenir series that the Mint produced for its various facility locations. San Francisco's dual role as both a customs port and a major Mint facility (the San Francisco Mint opened in 1854) makes this city particularly well-represented in the U.S. Mint's facility medal program.

Rarity Notes

Undated bronze facility medal, 1 5/16 inch (33mm). Standard U.S. Mint souvenir series.

Cross References

PCGS #113041; U.S. Mint facility medal series; San Francisco, CA Customhouse