This solid bronze medallion is an exact reproduction of a Medallion originally minted in France, probably at the Paris Mint, and sold to help raise funds for the casting of the Statue in France and for it's future erection inside Fort Wood on Bedloe's Island, now called Liberty Island.
The obverse side bears the sculptor's concept of the Statue with New Jersey, New York and Brooklyn in the background. Legend in the upper portion reads, "Commemorative Monument of American Independence" ... in the lower panel, "Liberty Enlightening the World erected 1886".
The reverse features a bas-relief profile of A. Bartholdi, the designer and sculptor with the inscription: "Presented July 4, 1884".