1860 HK-10, Heenan-Sayers Heavyweight Championship Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$720 MS62 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1860 so-called dollar (HK-10) commemorates Heenan-Sayers Heavyweight Championship. Before the great exposition era, American commemorative medals documented the young republic's infrastructure achievements, from the Erie Canal's 1825 completion to the transcontinental telegraph in 1861. This bronze so-called dollar represents the standard commemorative medal composition of its era. Bronze pieces were often the primary production run, with silver reserved for presentation copies and white metal for budget editions. Early commemorative medals were produced in small quantities by private die sinkers, with white metal and copper being the most common compositions. Distribution was typically limited to event participants and subscribers. Harold Hibler and Charles Kappen spent decades cataloging American dollar-sized medals, creating a reference work that transformed a scattered collecting field into an organized numismatic specialty.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-10 are scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Post-Civil War era commemorative medals survive in varying numbers depending on original mintage and subsequent preservation.

Cross References

HK-10; PCGS #642020; NGC #850017