Sea Beach Palace

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The 1876 Centennial Exposition ended in November, and later that month advertisements were published in Philadelphia newspapers soliciting sealed bids for the purchase and removal of the United States Government Building, which was described as being “built of framed timber with iron roof truss, felt roof and glazed sides, in form of Latin cross, central nave and aisles 400 by 100 feet; transept 300 by 100 feet; cupola at intersection, surmounted by lantern; whole area 102,840 square feet.”

The successful bidder was expected to remove the building “as soon after February 1, 1877 as possible.” The building, which cost well over $100,000 to build, was sold to the highest bidder for $1,127.87.

The Sea Beach Palace

Following the purchase, its new owners, the New York and Sea Beach Railroad, had the building disassembled and moved to Coney Island, New York. A crew of 80 men immediately started working to turn it into the Sea Beach Palace, a hotel and 1,100-seat restaurant. Finally, after two years, it was announced in the July 18, 1879, Brooklyn Daily Times that “one of the largest and most beautiful restaurants upon the whole Island” would open the next day. It was also advertised that there would be concerts every afternoon and evening.

The venue proved to be very popular, and new attractions were added periodically. For example, for the opening of the 1893 season, the building had been renovated throughout, and it hosted many acrobatic shows, trained animals for the children, and a 35-piece band. In the early 1900s, a huge roller-
skating rink was added, and it became a popular feature, in part because championship races were held there. A 1915 advertisement claimed it was the “largest skating floor in the world.”

An Industrial Exposition

In March 1916 the Palace was renovated to accommodate the Preparedness, Peace and Prosperity Industrial Exposition, which was scheduled to open May 30. The event’s main attraction was the government’s naval exhibit, which had been on display at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The 15 tons of materials that were transported by ship to Coney Island via the Panama Canal included, in addition to models of naval vessels, a large variety of rifles, torpedoes, and other military items. A naval recruiting station was set up, and during the first two weeks, more than 150 enlistment applications had reportedly been received.

To say the exhibit was popular would be an understatement; over Fourth of July weekend, more than 300,000 people viewed it, and it was estimated that at least a million people had visited the exhibit since its opening. Newspapers reported that the “monster torpedo and the periscopes” attracted the most attention. While the naval exhibit was the exposition’s main feature, hundreds of other exhibits were on display, including “several manufacturers of national prominence.” Band concerts were held daily in the afternoon and evening.

Coney Island Token

A token was issued for the exhibition. Its obverse inscription reads SEA BEACH PALACE/CONEY ISLAND/MAY 30TH OCT. 1ST/1916/DIRIGOLD, while the reverse features a scene of a battleship in the center, with a biplane flying above at the left. PREPAREDNESS is above, and PROSPERITY is below. The piece is 24.3mm in diameter. The word Dirigold on the token’s obverse refers to the metal used to strike it: a copper alloy developed in Sweden in 1913. Its primary use was in the manufacture of flatware. In the 1930s the name was changed to Dirilyte, after the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company to do so because it didn’t contain any gold.

I wasn’t able to determine why the token was issued, but very likely it was produced to sell as an exposition souvenir; the large number of visitors makes it unlikely that it was given away. Another unanswered question is why it was struck in Dirigold, although the fact that the word appears in the token’s inscription might be a clue. To the best of my knowledge, there is no published list of exhibitors, so I couldn’t ascertain whether the company had an exhibit at the exposition. However, if it did have one, a logical assumption is that the company passed out the tokens to those who stopped by its booth.

Palace of Joy

The Sea Beach Palace continued to operate until 1920. That year, the January 18 New York Herald announced that it was being torn down and would be replaced by a new park, the Palace of Joy, at a cost of $1 million. According to the article, it would be “a year around resort, with a big swimming pool, baths, roller skating rink, two tunnel rides, a restaurant, and two strictly fresh innovations described as ‘illusions.’” An article later that year stated that the pool would be the largest in the world.

I’ve owned this token for many years and have no idea whether it is common or rare. Either way, its value is undoubtedly nominal; tokens such as this, even if rare, typically don’t bring high prices when sold at auction.

I welcome readers’ comments. Write to me at P.O. Box 2866, La Plata, MD 20646. If a reply is desired, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 

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A version of this article appears in the June 2026 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)