1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Silver-Level Award Medal. Silvered-Bronze. 76.3 mm. By F. Ziegler. Mint State.<strong>Obv:</strong> Columbia, enthroned, holding an oval bust of George Washington as loggers, miners and Native Americans look on. <strong>Rev:</strong> Lush floral wreath and a rectangular cartouche labeled SILVER MEDAL and inscribed to the recipient N.T. ROSS. As a class exposition award medals for American events are quite rare, the only exception being that for the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893. Fully struck with an overall pewter gray appearance, direct lighting reveals tinges of golden-brown from the underlying metal. The recipient of this medal was Nellie Tayloe Ross who, among other achievements, served as the 28th director of the United States Mint from 1933 to 1953. She married William B. Ross in 1902, who later served as governor of Wyoming, to which post Nellie succeeded after his death on October 2, 1924. A great essay could be written about her Mint directorship during one of the most transitional eras in American coinage history. This medal is a very important souvenir from early in her career.<p>
