Over the summer I was lucky enough to have a handful of permissions on some house yards. One yard didn’t have much going on in the back, fill dirt, but the little front yard was original. I found a couple wheat cents but the find of the day was this token!
I knew I had seen it on a YouTube video before but wasn’t sure on its history. Boy was I happily surprised after doing a little research. As you can see, there is the Ford logo and a 30 year anniversary date. The token does indeed date back to the year 1933(4) and is from the Chicago World’s Fair! It’s a souvenir and advertisement combo. That year the Fair was known as “A Century of Progress International Exposition”.
World’s Fair is a way for the world to show the achievements of its nation and peoples. The first was held in 1791 in Prague (Bohemia), but the 1851 Fair in London is the one to really put it on the map. Each Fair has a different theme and motto and is held in different cities across the globe. They have been called an Expo since the 60s and the next one was supposed to be this year in Buenos Arias, but will now be in 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
Here’s to my next World’s Fair find!
cshapgoeseast 