TRIVIA: Auto Show Commemorative... AUTO SHOWS - NUMISMATICALLY To give you a little background to the numismatic connection of this trivia, here's a few things you should know: 1. The world's first ever Auto Show debuted at London in 1898. No coin has ever been issued to honor the event. 2. The world's second Auto Show was held at Detroit, Michigan in 1899 and was billed as the Detroit Auto Show. No coin was ever struck featuring the event. 3. In 1900 the World's third Auto Show showcased in Madison Square Garden under the Marquee title New York Auto Show. No coin was ever produced. Do you know what early Auto Show was recently honored with a coin honoring the event? The Geneva Motor Show of 1905 Before I present the coin for your viewing, let me add to the frivolaty of the gala occasion with the following data: Besides Ariel, Cadillac, Ford, Franklin, Maxwell, Mercedes, Oldsmobile, Rambler, Reo and Studebaker, other 1905 models unvieled at the show were Aurora, Banker, Berkshire, Boss, Breese & Lawrence, Cartercar, Corbin, Crawford, Culver, Eagle Air Cooled, Forest City, Fritchle Electric, Gale, Gas-Au-Lec, Halladay, Hammer, Johnson, La Petite, Leader, Lozier, Maxwell, Monarch, Moon, Morse Steam, Oxford, Parsons Electric, Pullman, Rauch & Lang, Rainier, Reeves, Reo, Speedway, Victor, Walker, and Waltrous. Because of all the autos maneuvering through the streets and avenues of cities a new word emerged out of the resulting pungent mixture of factory smoke, precipitative fog and auto exhaust. That word is smog. It first appeared in an article printed in London's "Daily Graphic" during 1905. Switzerland not only produced a coin to honor that 1905 event held in Geneva, but actually struck two coins celebrating the 100th Anniversary of The Geneva Motor Show. Following photos courtesy of Coin Page and the Swiss Mint: 2005 30mm silver 20 Francs (ASW 0.5369 ounce) OBVERSE 2005 SWISS SILVER 20 FRANCS - GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 1905 REVERSE 2005 SWISS SILVER 20 FRANCS - GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 1905 2005 25mm gold 50 Francs (AGW 0.3267 ounce) OBVERSE 2005 SWISS GOLD 50 FRANCS - GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 1905 REVERSE 2005 SWISS GOLD 50 FRANCS - GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 1905 Thought you might like to know... Clinker
You misspelled "terrific". Actually I find them interesting though not necessarily great. The obverse designs for Swiss commems are always the same (since early 2004). As for the other sides, the 20 fr silver coin shows a modern car (the GT1 by Franco Sbarro) while the 50 fr gold piece features an old vehicle (the Clément 1905 by Adolphe Clément). So in a way the two cover the 100 yr time span. By the way, to commemorate 125 Years of Automobiles, Germany issues a €10 collector coin next year. The winning design, by Jordi Truxa, will come in November. Talk about a missed chance, design wise ... Christian
