1857 White Metal So-Called Dollar HK-757, Dr. Elisha Kent Kane

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, commander of the second Grinnell expedition to the Arctic, is the subject of this medal, engraved by William H. Key and issued by an unknown party after Kane's death. The obverse is a high-relief bust facing right between "Dr. E. K." and "Kane.," signed "Key F" in tiny letters below. The reverse sums up his life in eight lines: born in Philadelphia on February 3, 1822, "Commander of the Grinnell Arctic Expedition May 30, 1853," and died on February 14, 1857. The Grinnell voyages, fitted out by the New Yorker Henry Grinnell from 1850, were part of the long search for Sir John Franklin, who vanished in the Arctic with two ships after reaching Lancaster Sound in 1845. They got as far as 80 degrees north and named Grinnell Land but never found him. HK-757 is white metal, 38 mm; HK-756 is the bronze striking.

Cross References

HK-757; PCGS #643443