Italy, Kingdom. A Chicago World's Fair Savoia-Marchetti Airplane Commemorative Medal

In silvered bronze, obverse illustrating Italian aviator Italo Balbo sitting in the cockpit of his plane, reverse illustrating a Savoia-Marchetti airplane in flight over the ocean waves below, inscribed " "CHICAGO WORLD FAIR 1933" " above, measuring 32 mm in diameter, scattered silvering wear, near extremely fine.

Footnote: The Century of Progress International Exposition was a World's Fair registered under the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which was held in Chicago, as The Chicago World's Fair, from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation. The fair's motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Adapts". Its architectural symbol was the Sky Ride, a transporter bridge perpendicular to the shore on which one could ride from one side of the fair to the other. The Italian Air Marshall of the time, Italo Balbo became famous for organizing a squadron of S.55s for Atlantic crossings, culminating in his 1933 flight with twenty-four aircraft to Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition. On July 1, 1933, General Balbo commanded a flight of S-55s from Orbetello, Italy, completing the flight in just over 48 hours, maintaining a tight "V" formation. These large fleets of aircraft were sometimes called a "Balbo".