1876 So-Called Dollar HK-50, Liberty Seated Dollar

Coin Details

Description

This 1876 so-called dollar (HK-50) commemorates Liberty Seated. 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 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. 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. So-called dollars — defined as privately issued medals approximately the size of a silver dollar — encompass one of the most diverse and historically rich collecting fields in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-50 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-50; PCGS #642128; NGC #850110