The first major World’s Fair outside of Europe was held in Philadelphia in 1876. It was dedicated to the centenary of the United States and was named “The International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine”.

The exhibition was held in a park in Philadelphia and occupied an area of 17 hectares. Russian factories and mines prepared a variety of exhibits for this event. The Zlatoust Arms Factory presented bladed weapons: sabers, damascened blades, yatagans, hunting knives, and daggers made of cast and Damascus steel. Decorated weapons sold well, despite their expensiveness. Only a small number of products returned to the factory.

For the high quality of bladed weapons, the expert committee of the International Industrial Exhibition of 1876 awarded the Zlatoust Arms Factory a silver medal, which corresponded to a second-degree diploma. It was printed on a cardboard sheet. The text is enclosed in an ornamental frame, which features the coats of arms of all countries participating in the International Industrial Exhibition, including Russia.

At the top of the frame is an image of a bald eagle — the national bird symbol of the United States of America. In the lower part, a multi-figured allegorical composition was used, which had Columbia in the center, wearing classical draped clothes and sitting on a throne. The image of Columbia, which used to represent the United States, was largely superseded by the Statue of Liberty, which was erected at the mouth of the Hudson River in 1886.

The text of the diploma is composed in English. The inscriptions confirm the participation of the Zlatoust Arms Factory in the World’s Fair. Under the text at the bottom left, there is a relief imprint of a round seal that was used to certify the diplomas of the World’s Fair.

The document was signed by General Manager of the Exhibition Alfred T. Goshorn, Secretary John L. Campbell, and Joseph R. Hawley — President of the United States Centennial Commission, which planned and ran the event.