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Twenty-seven countries participated. Keeping it closer to home, the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was held from May 1 to October 31, 1897 in Nashville. The exposition celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee’s entry into the Union.
The company unveiled to the public two new models of firearms: the Model 1876 rifle which was appropriately marketed as “The Centennial Model,” and their first revolver which was a new market for Winchester. They also introduced a new line of refined and expanded ammunition manufacturing capability for which they were awarded a bronze medal by the exhibition judges. Unfortunately, little is known about the display as the limited number of surviving records and photos are scant on details. It has been up to seasoned collectors and researchers to unravel the mystery. The “Souvenir of the Centennial Exhibition or, Connecticut’s representation at Philadelphia, 1876” is a surviving source providing a brief description of Winchester’s display: “The Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven had a rich and extensive display of weapons, consisting of magazine rifles, field, sporting, and target models. The cases containing them were upright, forming three sides of a square, with projecting counter cases, and in the center an upright, octagonal case...The exhibit included nearly two hundred guns, representing about fifty different styles. The cost of the cases alone was $3,000, and this represents but a fraction of the value of the exhibit”.
The other remaining dates of 1896 and 1897 remain ambiguous. There are, however, a few possibilities. The Great Industrial Exposition of Berlin 1896 was held from May 1 to October 15, 1896 in the Treptow borough of Berlin. Around 3,040 international companies had displays. The Brussels International Exposition of 1897 was a world’s fair held from May 10 to November 8, 1897 in Brussels, Belgium.