"1884" Hawaiian Fantasy Strike - Quarter Dollar, Platinum (c.1900)

Coin Details

Description

This 1884 platinum quarter dollar hub impression is the companion piece to the platinum half dollar hub impression, together forming the most valuable pair of Hawaiian numismatic items outside the official coinage. The platinum quarter hub impression was produced circa 1900 using the Hawaiian hapaha (quarter) hub or a copy, struck in platinum metal. The existence of platinum fantasy strikes in multiple denominations (both quarter and half dollar) indicates a deliberate program of production rather than isolated numismatic curiosities. Whether produced as a set or individually over time, these platinum pieces represent the absolute pinnacle of Hawaiian numismatic material in terms of rarity and exotic appeal. Platinum Hawaiian hub impressions occupy a category almost entirely their own in numismatics. They are not patterns (never proposed for production), not restrikes (not struck from original dies in the traditional sense), and not medals (not commemorating a specific event). They are best understood as numismatic art objects created at the intersection of Hawaiian coinage history and precious metal collecting at the turn of the 20th century.

Rarity Notes

Unique or nearly so. Among the rarest of all Hawaiian numismatic pieces alongside the platinum half dollar. PCGS #510971.

Cross References

PCGS #510971; Medcalf-Russell