1876 HK-118, Washington & Grant Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS63 03-08-2018 Kagin's

Description

This commemorative so-called dollar (HK-118) from 1876 celebrates Washington & Grant. The Women's Pavilion was the first building at any international exposition funded, designed, managed, and filled entirely by women, showcasing female inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs from across the nation. Bronze examples of so-called dollars offer collectors an excellent balance of affordability, condition, and aesthetic appeal. The alloy's hardness produces sharp strikes with fine detail that survives handling better than softer metals. 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. Barber's engraving style combined classical European training with American patriotic iconography, producing medals of exceptional technical quality. The Hibler-Kappen catalog, first published in 1963 by Harold E. Hibler and Charles V. Kappen, systematically organized American so-called dollars for the first time, assigning HK numbers that remain the standard reference today.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-118 are 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-118; PCGS #642296; NGC #850212