Numismatics at the World’s Columbian Exposition

400 years after Columbus made landfall in the New World, the World’s Columbian Exposition became the most defining moment in the United States for years to come. May 1, 1893 marked the opening of this momentous day in history. The Exposition spanned more than 600 acres of beautiful Jackson Park in Chicago, which was characterized by more than 200 classically designed buildings, bridges, and ponds. The magnitude of the Exposition far surpassed all other World’s Fairs, further proving the theory of American exceptionalism. Additionally, the Fair showed that Chicago had risen from beneath the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, which in 1871 destroyed 4 square miles of Chicago and claimed hundreds of lives.

The World’s Columbian Exposition was open for 6 months, from May 1, 1893 until its closure on October 30, 1893. During the duration of the Fair, more than 27 million people from all over the world attended. These people came to experience the most expansive, technologically advanced, and future-proof World’s Fair for Molding in existence. Throughout the fair, attendees experienced many firsts, including the first Ferris wheel. Spanning 264 feet, the Ferris wheel could hold 2,000 people in a single revolution. In addition to experiencing the first Ferris wheel, the American people would have experienced the different cultures of more than 36 different countries around the world, including Japan and Egypt.

The World’s Columbian Exposition had a great impact on the world. It inspired the minds of great inventors and paved the way for the way we live today. From a numismatic standpoint, the World’s Columbian Exposition was responsible for the creation of numismatic items that are still largely collected today.

In an effort to honor Christopher Columbus, the Worlds Columbian Board of Directors decided to establish a commemorative half dollar coin to be minted by the US Mint. A NY Times article dated July 10, 1892 discusses the bill sent to the Senate regarding the minting of the World’s Columbian Exposition commemorative half dollar. The bill proposed that “these shall be of the same weight and fineness, and have in all other respects the same qualities as the silver half dollar now authorized by law.” The note described the means by which the US Treasury would present $5,000,000 for the minting of the souvenir half dollars. The coins would sell for $1 each and raise $10,000,000. There were many objections to the creation of so many coins. Senator Sherman of Ohio stated that “the sheer number of souvenir half dollars would destroy their value as souvenirs.” In objection to Senator Sherman’s response, Senator Allison of Iowa stated that “they would not only be memories for this day and generation, but would be passed down from the sixty-five million people now living in the United States to the two hundred million that they would dwell here in the future. Children would weep for them, and the old would sue them. They would be withdrawn from circulation and fall into a condition of harmless disuse.”

Once the bill was approved, the design of the coin would begin. The coin was to bear an image of Christopher Columbus. In a NY Times article dated August 23, 1892, the United States Mint expresses how inconvenient it had been to unearth a proper portrait of Christopher Columbus. It had been the intention of the Mint to use a portrait by a painter named Sotto, but the portrait did not conform to the generally accepted features of Columbus’s face. The dilemma of finding the ideal portrait was resolved when the Washington Mint Bureau submitted an etching by Focilion, by Colón de Suardo. The Columbus portrait was copied from the original painting owned by Paolo Giovio. The portrait, which he had hung on the walls of Giovio’s house during Columbus’s lifetime, had always had the reputation of being a true original as the two were great friends. More than 2.5 million examples of the coin were minted for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Although many were sold at the Fair, many remained unsold and remained in circulation at face value. Today, the Colombian half dollar holds the prestige of being the oldest commemorative half dollar in the US, and a notable amount still remains in mint condition.

Women in the 19th century were not considered in the same way as they are today. The mentality of many at the end of the 19th century was that a woman’s place was in the home. In 1890, a woman named Bertha Honoré Palmer was elected president of the Board of Managers of the Universal Exposition of Colombia. Palmer traveled across the country generating interest in the Fair. She contracted for a site at the World’s Columbian Exposition to build the Women’s Building, which was designed by a female architect. Palmer was the mind behind the suggestion for a commemorative coin for women to be sold during the Fair. In keeping with the feminine theme, Palmer insisted that a portrait of Queen Isabella of Spain be used for the coin. Queen Isabella, who gave her patronage to Columbus, was partly responsible for his historic discovery of the New World. To keep the theme of women once again, Palmer selected a New York artist named Caroline Peddle to design the neighborhood. Peddle was a student of Augustus St. Gaudens, the famous designer of the $20 double-headed eagle coin. The decision to select an independent artist insulted the US Mint’s chief engraver, Charles Barber. Barber would not approve the commemorative coin with Peddle as the artist. Seeing no other options, Palmer allowed Barber to choose an artist to design the coin. An artist by the name of Kenyon Cox was chosen. Cox had painted numerous murals for the exhibition and the sketches for the bust of Queen Elizabeth were made by himself. Palmer raised enough money for 40,000 commemorative quarters. June 13, 1893 marked the date that 40,000 souvenir quarters began sitting at the Philadelphia Mint. An article in the NY Times dated June 14, 1893 stated: “The design of the coin surpasses in beauty that of the Colombian half dollar. The obverse represents the head of Queen Isabella of Spain with the crown of Castile; while on the reverse is a woman kneeling next to a spinning wheel”. Souvenir rooms were sold in the Women’s Building for $1.00. Of the original 40,000 coins minted, only 24,191 were sold, the remaining 15,809 being returned to the mint and melted down. The Isabella Memorial Quarter will forever be remembered for the role women played during the World’s Columbian Exposition.

The World’s Columbian Exposition was a momentous and life-changing experience for all who attended. Tickets for the fair went on sale on April 1, 1892 at various Chicago hotels. Thousands of customers who wanted to keep the tickets as souvenirs or send them to friends lined up at various Chicago hotels to buy the tickets. An article in the NY Times dated April 2, 1893 stated: “In addition to the tickets offered for sale in the hotels, Treasurer Seeberger has received large orders from commercial houses who want to send them to their clients in the country. The orders already are on file from this source alone total over $300,000.”

The entrances surprise as the Fair itself. Six different varieties of tickets were used, each bearing the face of a pivotal figure in history. The first four were general admission tickets featuring cartoon portraits of an American Indian, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, each allegorically representing a different era in American history. The latter two were printed in much smaller numbers than general admission tickets and feature the faces of inventor Benjamin Franklin and composer George Frideric Handel. Franklin’s ticket features the word “free” on the front of the ticket and was sent to companies that sponsored the fair to use as giveaways for their best customers. Benjamin Franklin was selected for the face of this entry for his experiments with electricity, which was the most important and spectacular of all the innovations presented at the Fair. The rarest of all, the “Music” ticket features an engraving by the 18th-century composer Handel, and was used for admission to musical performances. Handel’s “Water Music” and “Music for Royal Fireworks” were performed at the fair. Handel’s face on the Fair ticket is very fitting, as the Fair showcased the latest in electrical fountains and huge fireworks displays that were displayed with compositions of him playing in the background.

Tickets for the Fair were printed by the New York Banknote Company. An employee of the New York Banknote Company, Col. Porter, receives credit for designing the tickets for the World’s Columbian Exposition. An April 2, 1893, NY Times article describes the World’s Fair tickets: “The tickets, which are in four different designs, measure about 4 inches long by 2 ½ inches wide, the paper used being of a smooth texture. remarkably thin, light gray in color. The banknotes of the different series differ from each other by the color of the back, being the colors brown, red, green and blue. Admitted to the bearer from May 1 to October 30, 1893.” Each ticket was beautifully printed and they are true works of art. These tickets not only exhibited amazing features but also featured major anti-counterfeiting measures. “The great safeguards the company relies on against counterfeiting these notes are the use of color and intricate, delicately toned engraving, which will make the notes impossible to photograph.”

Although the World’s Columbian Exposition lasted only six months, the innovations that were illustrated throughout the Fair significantly changed the way we live today. The Fair presented to the world some of the most profound numismatic material of all time. From the Colombian half dollar and Isabella quarter, the first US commemorative coins, to the intricately designed admission tickets that showcased the first innovations in anti-counterfeiting measures, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 changed the world so as we know it now.