Identifier: storyofexpositio04todd (find matches)
Title: The story of the exposition; being the official history of the international celebration held at San Francisco in 1915 to commemorate the discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the construction of the Panama Canal
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Todd, Frank Morton Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company
Subjects: Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915 : San Francisco, Calif.)
Publisher: New York, London : Pub. for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Contributing Library: San Francisco Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: San Francisco Public Library

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ins would look like whenthey were finally delivered. Owing to the lateness of the date on which the Act of Congress waspassed—it was not approved until January 16, 1915—it was impossible tohave any of the coins produced until about three months after the openingof the Exposition. In order to have them then, dies for the gold dollar weremade by a private concern at the Expositions expense, and they were prob-ably the first United States coin dies to be made by other than Governmentemployees since the practical organization of the Mint; the San Franciscooctagonal and some oblong coinage before that event having been, as wehave indicated above, due to private enterprise, and accepted by businessas a relief from the too great uncertainties of dealing with nuggets anddust.In spite of this handicap, the Coinage Department took in $179,506 inthe Exposition period, and 151,966 in the post-Exposition period. Thewhole net return of the Expositions coin and medal business after deducting 118
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COINS OF THE EXPOSITION THE EXPOSITION COINS AND MEDALS 119 cost of material and all administration expense came to ^65,555.09. Thistable accounts for the coins handled: Half Two-and-one- Fijty Dollars Fifty Dollars Dollars Dollars Half Dollars Octagonal Round Coined 60,000 25,034 10,017 1,509 i>5io Used for Assay 34 34 17 9 1° Available 59,966 25,000 10,000 1,500 1,500 Sold 27,100 25,000 6,750 646 483 Destroyed at Mint 32,866 3,250 854 1,017 The production of the souvenir medals, which were sold about thegrounds, began with the opening of the Exposition. Robert I. Aitkens designwas very artistic and beautiful, and its symbolism was thus interpreted: The obverse shows a winged Mercury, the Messenger of Heaven, the first ofinventors, the furtherer of industry and of commerce, opening the locks of theCanal through which passes the Argo, symbol of navigation. Upon her canvasthe setting sun is reflected as she sails for the west. The quotation On! Sail On! from Joaquin Millers poem to

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