The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Memorabilia: Certificates and Medals


1904 W.F. Society

Awards, Certificates, and Medals

Perhaps you remember from many years ago that your box of Crayola crayons had a small design on the front. That small picture was a picture of the Gold Medal awarded to Crayola at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.  (However, it's interesting to note that while Crayola's 1904 Gold Medal was awarded for their dustless white chalk, the medal was used on their crayon boxes for many years.)   Many companies touted their various prizes and awards from the Victorian-era World's Fairs for many years, or even decades.  More information about specific awards further down.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company continued the practice of previous major world's fairs awarding medals and diplomas (certificates) to exhibitors. Four types of awards were possible in each class: Grand Prize, Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and Bronze Medal.  Also, a Commemorative Medal and diploma was awarded for "distinguished aid or service to the Exposition" by the Fair organizers.

The Fair managers classified the thousands of exhibits and processes into 16 lettered departments, 144 groups, and 807 classes for award consideration. Major exhibit departments included livestock, agriculture, inventions, art, sculpture, music, manufacturing, and transportation, with numerous groups and classes in each department. The awards were determined by a jury of international experts from each department. A total of 33,158 medal awards were issued, and an additional 6,000 commemorative awards were issued, according to the Fair's official history (see below).


Crayola Crayon box, c. 1910 

The 1904 World's Fair certificates and medals are among the most sought-after items from the Fair for memorabilia collectors. The very few special award medals and certificates from the "Philippine Exhibit" are particularly rare, and highly prized (and valued!).

NOTES:  These medals are ALL made of bronze, and not of gold, silver, etc.  Also, these medals were NOT used for awards to participants at the 1904 Olympic games, which were also held at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.  Olympic participants that finished first, second, and third were awarded smaller, "bar-drop" medals for their 'gold', 'silver', or 'bronze' finish.  Their names were typically engraved on the reverse of the drop.  This was the first time in the Olympics that such awards were made.

Receiving an award at the World's Fair was a notable achievement, and worthy of promotion.  The Jack Daniel's Distillery won a Gold Medal in 1904, and proclaimed that fact for decades on every bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Some other notable award winners include the Indianapolis Brewing Company (beer), Underwood (typewriters), Waterman (fountain pens), Orphan Boy of Limestone Valley Farm (mule), Kelly-Springfield (road rollers), and Pillsbury-Washburn (flour).  Other awards were made to (and advertised by) manufacturers of pianos, piano movements, food products, machinery, household products, etc.

NEW  The website Louisiana Purchase Exposition Medals provides details about the souvenir official medals produced by the U.S. Mint that were awarded to exhibits. It also contains the U.S. Mint's Engraver's count of medals that were struck (produced).  It describes the 'so-called dollar' produced by the Mint as a souvenir, and other links on their page take you to medals produced for other World's Fairs.

NEW  I find it interesting that the quantities of BOTH the Grand Prize and First Place medals that were awarded are much higher than the documented 807 classes of exhibits that were judged.  This leads me to conclude that several Grand Prize and First Place medals must have been awarded in each class. (On average, roughly 4:1 for Grand Prizes, and 11:1 for First Place medals.) 

  • The Universal Exposition of 1904, the excellent 1904 reference book authored by D. R. Francis, President of the Fair (full link to on my vintage books page), states on page 557 that “A total of 33,158 medal awards were issued, and an additional 6,000 commemorative awards were issued.”  This would make a total of 39,150 medals that were awarded.  It also notes that there were many more paper diplomas (certificates) that were awarded to participants in collective exhibits, where a single medal was awarded.
  • The "Expomedals" web page for the 1904 World's Fair states that there were some 3,300 Grand Prize medals manufactured (minted at the Philadelphia mint), and about 9,000 first prize medals, and so on, for a total of 39,850 medals minted.  This is close to the same total of medals awarded (as documented in by Francis), but is some 800 medals higher.  I would assume that probably a the ‘extras’ were either made as proofs, perhaps not awarded, and/or destroyed.
  • And to put it differently, there was no ‘single’ prize (Grand Prize or First Place) at the Fair, or even within a single category; there were clearly many such 'top' awards made.


     

The diplomas, or certificates, were designed by Will H. Low. They are 16x18 inches, and were printed in sepia on 21x24 inch imperial Japanese paper. The design depicts Columbia as a robust, clear-eyed maiden in her first youth, intent on her future. She has one hand upon a globe, typifying the territorial acquisition offered by her sister France, seated at her right. Her other hand passes on the torch of progress to her messenger (the youth of her country), who with winged feet stands ready to depart on his mission of civilization. Columbia is draped with the U.S. flag, recognized to the farthest limits of the world. France wears a crown and costume of the period of cession of the territory. The classic-empire border encloses the names of the states of the Union, prominence given to those comprising the territorial acquisition, and the 14 stars in the tablet further emphasize their importance.

 

 
Silver Medal certificate for Andrew Kaletta for Statues, Altars, Pedestals, and Crosses



The award medals were designed by Adolph A. Weinman, as one of his earliest commissions for a struck medal. The engravings and medals were struck by the U.S. mint in Philadelphia. The medals weigh approximately 3.5 ounces. The various award medals had different overall shapes, but common, circular designs.

The obverse of the circular design depicts 2 female figures above the Roman numerals MCMIV (1904). The tall and stately figure is Columbia, with her arms spread wide holding the United States flag. Columbia is enveloping a youthful maiden at her side, representing the Louisiana Purchase Territory. Emblematic of her reception into the union, the maiden is divesting herself of the cloak of France, the material decorated with busy bees, the emblem of Napoleon. In the background is the rising sun, marking the dawn of a new era of progress to the nation. Encircling the two figures are the words "Vniversal Exposition - Saint Lovis - Vnited States of America."  (More information and links about Weinman are below.)

The reverse shows an architectural tablet inscribed with the grade of the medal and "Lovisiana Pvrchase Exposition". Below the tablet are two dolphins symbolizing the nations' eastern and western boundaries, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Above the tablet is a large eagle with its wings spread, from ocean to ocean.

Grand Prizes were shield-shaped, with 14 stars above the circular design (representing the 14 states and territories in 1904 that comprised the original Louisiana Purchase), and 13 stripes below (for the original 13 states). Gold Medals (same shape as the pictured Commemorative Medal, left) were on a 3-pointed shield, with 14 stars and a wreath on each point. The wreath in the upper left corner has the letters "US" (representing the United States), the wreath in the upper right corner has the letters "NJ" (representing Napoleon and Jefferson), and the wreath in lower point has a Fleur de Lis. The Silver Medal is square, with a cross of the order of St. Louis behind the circular design. The Bronze Medal is circular, without addition or variation. The Commemorative Medal (left) duplicates the Gold Medal design except for the tablet inscription on the reverse.

Artist Adolph Alexander Weinman (born in Karlsruhe/Germany, 1870-1952, see links below) was born in Germany but came to the United States at the age of ten. Weinman first studied at the Cooper Union School in New York, later for five years at the studio of the sculptor Martiny. He improved his artistic skills as a student of the famous Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Weinman is very famous for designing the "Walking liberty" half-dollar and dime (ten-cent \) coins of 1916.

These memorabilia items represent the awards to the best exhibits at St. Louis Worlds Fair. Finding and collecting these certificates and medals helps us remember the many exhibits and prizes awarded at "The World's Greatest Fair".

References:

  • Mark Bennitt, History of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
  • David R. Francis, The Universal Exposition of 1904
  • Expomedals from World's Fairs:  http://www.expomedals.com/1904/

Other information/pictures at: