Intriguing 1901 Pan-American Exposition Award Medal

jonathanb · March 8, 2006 2:41PM

This is a Pan-American Exposition Award Medal, 63mm, gilt bronze (marked BRONZE on the edge). I haven't been looking at exposition medals for that long, but this is the first Pan-American Exposition award medal that I've seen on eBay, and it was buried in a larger lot, and it's sort of neat looking, so I snagged it.

Some expo medals are named; some aren't. It's slightly better if it's named, but usually the name is totally generic like "William Smith". I have a Columbian Exposition award medal awarded to Z. Jasinski, and even though that sounds like it should be fairly distinctive I still have basically no chance of figuring out who it was.

This Pan-American medal is also named, and I did a double-take when I read it. It's named to Henri Nestle. That company still exists -- Nestle's, makers of chocolate a a bunch of other food stuff. I even found a web site that confirms that a gold medal really was awarded to that company at the Pan-American Exposition.

The one thing I don't know is whether named award medals were unique. That is, did Nestle get 1000 medals to hand out to all employees, or could this be THE medal that they won in 1901? Wouldn't it be neat if it was?

deansmint · March 8, 2006 2:44PM

Stunning design, absolutely love it. Nice find ! ! !

kiyote · March 8, 2006 3:32PM

Holy COW that is a BEAUTIFUL piece!

Stork · March 8, 2006 7:09PM

<< <i>That company still exists -- Nestle's, makers of chocolate a a bunch of other food stuff. >>

Back in the day though Henri Nestle developed a baby formula that saved the life of a neighbor's child (so the story goes...this may be the dramatic version--it may have been some random baby) and went on to market and sell baby formula for babies that couldn't get milk from their mothers. Quite the life saver for some back in the day.

Of course in the 1970s the company took all sorts of criticism for marketing powdered baby formula in developing countries which led to the Nestle boycott. (The mothers could get free samples, their own milk would not come in, then they would become dependent on the powdered formula they could not afford. Problems arose with hygeine/water supplies and with thinning down the product to make it last longer).

Of course we all know b**b juice is best

, but sometimes there isn't a mother alive to give it, who can give it, or is otherwise able to produce.

piece of history!!!

Cathy

drwstr123 · March 8, 2006 7:15PM

Breath-takingly beautiful! Where are the brains and or talent of our designers today? Oh yea-State Ouarters.

theboz11 · March 8, 2006 7:23PM

If the Name is raised, as it appears, It should be the original. After all it was struck with the name in place, not etched later as if originally blank and used for other employees also.