1876 Silver So-Called Dollar GW-890, HK-108, Fort Washington

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,880 MS66 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1876 Fort Washington so-called dollar (HK-108) is a commemorative piece from the U.S. Centennial Exposition series. The 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park was the first official world's fair held in the United States, occupying 285 acres with over 200 buildings and attracting nearly 10 million visitors. This silver striking represents the premium composition for so-called dollars of its era. Silver pieces were typically available to subscribers or sold at higher prices than the more widely distributed base metal versions. 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. Collectors of so-called dollars pursue pieces by exposition, metal type, engraver, geographic region, or historical theme, with complete sets of certain exposition groups being particularly prized accomplishments.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-108 are scarce to rare 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-108; PCGS #642264; NGC #850200