101873 | UNITED STATES. Louisiana Purchase Int'l Expo bronze Award Medal.

101873  |  UNITED STATES. Louisiana Purchase/St. Louis International Exposition bronze award Medal. Issued 1904. Presented at the expo for the "silver" award (66x66mm, 181.21 g, 12h). Square shape. By A. A. Weinman at the Philadelphia mint.

 

VNIVERSAL EXPOSITION SAINT LOVIS VNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Columbia standing slightly right, wearing Phrygian cap and outstretching American flag over Native American maiden standing to right, removing flag with intricate bee design (representing industriousness); rising sun in background; all within central medallion; lis in each outer corner / Eagle, with head left and wings spread, standing facing on oak and laurel branches; below, rectangular cartouche decorated with scallop shell and inscribed • SILVER • MEDAL • / • LOVISIANA • PVRCHASE • / • EXPOSITION • in three lines; two inward-facing dolphins below; all within central medallion; outer decorations as obverse. Edge: Plain.

 

Hendershott 30-50. Choice Mint State. Charming toffee-brown surfaces, with a slight matte nature. For completeness, a small darker spot is noted on the reverse near the letters "IL" in silver.

 

Designed by famed German-born U.S. coinage engraver Adolph Alexander Weinman, this series of award medals displays the elegant artistry that would make appearances the following decade on the 'Mercury' dime and the 'Walking Liberty' half dollar. Issued in various shapes, the entire series (bronze, silver, gold, commemorative, and grand) were nominally named, as all of the award medals were struck in a new bronze alloy (initially referred to as 'government bronze'), and meant to convey the level of recognition for the recipient. The expo itself was held in St. Louis, Missouri, and had, as its backdrop, the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase to commemorate—a factor which prominently influenced many design aspects of the award medals.

 

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