1881 Silver So-Called Dollar HK-125c, Battle of Groton Heights

Coin Details

Auction Record

$90 MS62 01-26-2023 eBay

Description

The 1881 Battle of Groton Heights so-called dollar (HK-125c) is a commemorative piece from the Revolutionary War Commemoratives series. Many Revolutionary War centennial medals were struck by the U.S. Mint as official congressional issues, giving them a gravitas that distinguished them from purely commercial commemorative pieces. Silver examples of so-called dollars were produced for collectors and dignitaries, making them consistently scarcer than their base metal counterparts. The precious metal content adds intrinsic value beyond numismatic appeal. Revolutionary War centennial medals were produced both by the U.S. Mint (official congressional issues) and private die sinkers. Many were distributed at ceremony sites to attendees and dignitaries. 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. This piece is a variant of HK-125, distinguished by differences in composition, die state, or striking characteristics that merit a separate catalog entry in the Hibler-Kappen reference.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-125c are scarce to rare among so-called dollar collectors. Gilded Age commemorative medals survive in varying numbers depending on original mintage and subsequent preservation. Variant types are generally scarcer than the primary issue.

Cross References

HK-125c; PCGS #642330; NGC #851544