1884-1885 So-Called Dollar HK-143a, 5 La Mardi Gras Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-143a, this 1884 so-called dollar honors 5 La Mardi Gras. Pennsylvania's bicentennial in 1882 produced several commemorative medals honoring William Penn's 1682 founding of the colony, while Vermont celebrated its own centennial of statehood in 1891. Struck in bronze, this piece combines durability with an attractive warm tone that deepens with age into a rich chocolate-brown patina. Bronze was the preferred composition for many commemorative medals due to its excellent detail retention. State and regional medals were typically commissioned by local committees and struck by private manufacturers. Silver and white metal compositions predominate. 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-143, distinguished by differences in composition, die state, or striking characteristics that merit a separate catalog entry in the Hibler-Kappen reference.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-143a are scarce. Gilded Age medals were often distributed at events, with many entering circulation as pocket pieces rather than being preserved as collectibles.

Cross References

HK-143a; PCGS #642388; NGC #850260