103115 | UNITED STATES. Christopher Columbus gilt bronze Medal.

103115  |  UNITED STATES. Christopher Columbus gilt bronze Medal. Struck 1893. World's Columbian Exposition (50mm, 58.67 g, 12h). By Ferdinand Massonnet.

 

1435 CHRISTOPHUS COLOMBUS 1506, capped and robed bust facing slightly right // WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION / CHICAGO / 1892–93, aerial view of the exposition grounds. Edge: Plain.

 

Eglit 99; Rulau X16 (though the engraver is mentioned as François Massonnet). Choice Mint State. Highly lustrous and brilliant. Rather scarce in gilt. Compare to another choice gilt example, an NGC MS-63 PL, which realized a total of $468 in Kagin's 2020 ANA/National Money Show auction (lot 3132).

 

During the lead-up to the quadricentennial of Columbus's initial contact with the New World, numerous medals were designed and struck, both in the United States—in conjunction with the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago—and abroad—sometimes for this event or for similar others. In the case here, this classic by the French engraver Ferdinand Massonnet, features a view of the expo grounds in Chicago and has become known for its designer, standing within the series as "the Massonnet medal."

 

Upload: 3 March 2025.