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NNP Blog

Feb 28 2023

Rare Dakota Award Medal Surfaces

A Newman Portal user forwarded images of a medal awarded at the Deadwood Fair by the Black Hills Fair Association. The example was awarded to our correspondent’s gr-gr-grandfather, Elisa Pauli, in 1908. The award inscription is crude and not as finely done as usually seen on eastern medals. The Alan Weinberg collection contains an unawarded example, of which Alan writes “White metal. I usually do not put white metal items in my collection, preferring only silver or gold. But this is a territorial Dakota medal, made of Black Hills tin, is extremely rare (I've seen only two), Gem Proof and in an original case of issue - just too much for me to ignore.” We found nothing related to the Deadwood Fair or the Black Hills Fair Association in the usual places; this was likely an agricultural and mechanical fair similar to other such events at the time. Perhaps E-Sylum readers might have additional information?

Images: Deadwood Fair award medal issued to Elisa Pauli in 1908.

Links to Weinberg example on NNP: 

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/ImageDetail/510828
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagedetail/510829

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