209 Treasures From the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair Emerge From a 15-Year Collection
More than 130 years after Chicago dazzled the world with its magnificent Columbian Exposition, a remarkable collection of surviving medals, tokens, tickets, and souvenirs will soon cross the auction block.
Heritage Auctions will offer 209 carefully selected pieces from the The Steve Starlust Showcase Auction of Rare 1893 Columbiana on November 9, 2026. Bidding should open around October 9.
Starlust spent 15 years assembling the collection. Now, collectors will have an opportunity to acquire exceptional examples of Columbiana, including some of the rarest surviving pieces from one of America’s most celebrated historical events.
Remembering the World’s Fair That Changed America
When the World’s Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago on May 1, 1893, it introduced visitors to a spectacular vision of America’s industrial and technological future.
The fair celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage. Its elaborate exhibition halls, electric lighting, and towering Ferris Wheel helped make the event a landmark in American history.
By the time the exposition closed on October 30, more than 27 million visitors had attended.
However, the fair left behind more than photographs and architectural memories.
Visitors carried home medals, admission tickets, badges, elongated coins, and countless other souvenirs. Today, those pieces provide a tangible connection to the people, businesses, and innovations that shaped the exposition.
For collectors, their appeal goes well beyond nostalgia. Many survive in surprisingly small numbers, while others represent little-known chapters of the fair’s history.
Steve Starlust Collection Includes Exceptional Rarities
Heritage’s November Showcase Auction features 209 selections from Starlust’s extensive holdings.
The offering includes medals, badges, admission tickets, elongated coins, and unusual souvenirs. Among them are pieces that Heritage identifies with the formidable R-9 rarity classification.
Several catalog highlights demonstrate the collection’s range.
One standout is an 1892 Ferris Wheel Dollar token, cataloged as HK-170 and Eglit-157. NGC graded the aluminum piece MS62 Deep Prooflike. Its design commemorates the enormous wheel that became the fair’s most recognizable attraction.
Another notable offering is an 1893 Columbian Exposition View on Globe medal, graded NGC MS67. As of September 2026, NGC reported this example as the sole finest certified for its attribution.
The collection also includes historical admission tickets and elongated coins, including an example struck on an 1891-O Seated Liberty dime.
Together, these objects offer collectors an unusually broad look at the medals and memorabilia that visitors encountered more than a century ago.
NGC Creates Special Columbian Exposition Holder
The auction also introduces a distinctive feature for collectors who value provenance.
According to Heritage, Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) collaborated with Starlust to produce its first limited-edition certification label dedicated to the World’s Columbian Exposition.
Starlust worked with NGC’s art department on the design. The insert features the famous Ferris Wheel alongside the inscription “Steve Starlust Collection.”
Moreover, Heritage’s catalog incorporates specialized attribution numbers from Starlust’s reference book, Referencing Columbiana.
These identifiers help distinguish varieties and document pieces that older references did not fully cover.
Six Years of Research Earn Numismatic Recognition
Starlust’s contribution to Columbian Exposition collecting extends beyond his personal collection.
He spent six years researching and compiling Referencing Columbiana, a modern reference that expands upon the pioneering work of Nathan N. Eglit.
Eglit’s Columbiana served collectors for more than six decades. However, new discoveries and additional varieties created a need for updated information.
Homren, Editor E-Sylum
Starlust’s expanded research helps fill those gaps through detailed descriptions, photographs, and new attributions.
The Numismatic Literary Guild recognized his work with its 2025 Best Book: Tokens & Medals award.
Heritage also reports that the book earned recognition from the Token and Medal Society (TAMS).
The awards underscore the importance of documenting historical collectibles before their stories disappear.
Heritage Auction Begins October 9
Heritage Auctions expects bidding for the Steve Starlust Collection to begin around Friday, October 9, 2026. The Showcase Auction will take place on Monday, November 9.
The auction carries a 22% buyer’s premium, with a $29 minimum per lot.
Collectors can review the catalog and register to bid through Heritage’s Auction #63365.
- Steve Starlust Collection of Columbian World Expo Medals
- Heritage Auctions
- Auction Number: 63365
- Bidding Opens: Approximately October 9, 2026
- Closing Auction Date: November 9, 2026
- Auction Website: https://www.ha.com/63365
For additional information, collectors can contact Steve Starlust at [email protected] or (631) 374-4483.
The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition lasted only six months. Yet its legacy survives in the remarkable objects that visitors saved.
This November, 209 of those historical treasures will offer collectors another opportunity to own a piece of the fair that helped define an era.
