This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/4/2017
This offered "Grand Prize" award hails from the 1904 St. Louis Exposition Games
(aka, The World's Fair) celebrating the Centennial of the Louisiana
Purchase from Napoleon in 1803. Held from April 30 to December 1, they
were later referred to as the 3rd Modern
Olympic Games. Like the 1900 Paris Exposition, the organizers so
under-promoted the Olympic status of the competitions that
many athletes never knew they were participating in Olympic
events.
There are five versions of 1904 Exposition medals, but this Grand
Prize example is the rarest as it was the highest award given out at the
1904 World's Fair. (Three other examples are listed together in Lot 690; the fifth version, squared Silver, was listed in our previous auction.) The obverse features the bold relief of an eagle standing on a
podium that reads "Grand Prize Louisiana Purchase Exposition." The
reverse has "Universal Exposition Saint Louis United States Of America"
and Roman numerals "MCMIV." Designed by Weinmann and made of bronze, the shield-shaped medal measures 2.5" wide by 3" tall by 5 mm thick, weighing 152
grams. It still displays a nice golden tone and presents GVF in our opinion.