1892 Medal Eglit-101 Aluminum World's Columbian Expo

Coin Details

Auction Record

$750 PR67DCAM 11-21-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1892 aluminum medal, cataloged as Eglit-101 in Levine's World's Columbian Exposition reference, is one of multiple aluminum variants of this popular design. The Eglit-101 series was among the most widely produced designs in the entire WCE medal program, appearing in at least five different metal compositions — testimony to the design's commercial success and the manufacturer's willingness to invest in multiple die setups to serve different market segments. Aluminum medals from the early 1890s occupy a special place in both numismatic and metallurgical history. The World's Columbian Exposition itself showcased aluminum prominently among its industrial exhibits, with the Pittsburgh Reduction Company (predecessor to Alcoa) displaying products made from the metal that had been commercially impractical just a decade earlier. An aluminum souvenir medal was thus not merely a keepsake but a small artifact of the industrial transformation the fair was celebrating. The Eglit-101 design in aluminum was priced between the cheapest white metal versions and the more expensive bronze and silver-plated options. This middle-market positioning made aluminum medals attractive to visitors who wanted something more novel than white metal but more affordable than bronze — a savvy commercial calculation on the part of manufacturers who understood the diverse purchasing power of the Exposition's enormous and varied audience.

Rarity Notes

Moderately available. Aluminum WCE medals survive in reasonable numbers, though condition varies. The metal's softness makes pieces susceptible to contact marks, and heavily handled examples may show significant surface wear.

Cross References

Eglit-101; PCGS #599614