Lot 4031

Description

U.S.A., California Midwinter Exposition, 1894, shooting festival "Golden Gate" medal in gold (23.4gms, 38mm diameter, 67mm from top of eagle), obverse: modified design of California state seal, "Midwinter Fair Sooting Festival *1894*" around, reverse scene of "Sutter Mill", "San Francisco Schuetzen Verein *S.F. Cal.*" around, top suspension brooch with eagle standing on scroll with "Golden Gate Medal" across, two crossed rifles behind, pin back, seperated from medal by two pieces of oval link chain. 1mm "V" shape test cut piece missing from edge at 4 o'clock, break in right eagles wing, otherwise extremely fine and rare.

The California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, known as the "Midwinter Exposition" or the "Midwinter Fair", was a World's Fair that ran for six months in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Its legacies are the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the Park's famed Japanese Tea Garden. It was the idea of M. H. de Young, editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1892, U.S. President Benjamin Harrison appointed him as a national commissioner to the World's Columbian Exposition which was held in Chicago in 1893. Memorabilia from this exhibition is generally considered to be rare as many items were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.