1876 Bronze So-Called Dollar GW-886, HK-97, Long Island

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,020 MS64BN 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

HK-97 is a 1876 so-called dollar commemorating Long Island. President Grant and Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil jointly started the Corliss Engine on opening day, May 10, 1876, while Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone and the Remington typewriter made its public debut. The bronze composition of this piece reflects the medallic tradition dating to classical antiquity. Bronze so-called dollars typically survive in better condition than white metal examples due to the alloy's greater hardness and durability. The U.S. Mint struck official Centennial medals designed by William Barber, while private firms produced hundreds of additional varieties. The Centennial group is the largest in the HK catalog. William Barber designed the official U.S. Mint medals for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, establishing the standard for American exposition medal artistry. 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

Bronze strikings of HK-97 are common to moderately scarce. Post-Civil War era medals were often distributed at events, with many entering circulation as pocket pieces rather than being preserved as collectibles.

Cross References

HK-97; PCGS #642245; NGC #850187