1884 HK-600, Holed St. Louis Expo & Music Hall Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$360 MS64 10-30-2018 Stack's Bowers

Description

Designated HK-600 in the Hibler-Kappen catalog, this 1884 piece commemorates Holed St. Louis Expo & Music Hall. The 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration in New York commemorated Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage and Robert Fulton's 1807 steamboat, with naval parades, replicas of the Half Moon and Clermont, and commemorative medals. Struck in bronze, this piece showcases the detailed die work typical of American commemorative medals. Bronze's natural patina gives aged examples an appealing warm-brown surface that collectors prize. Miscellaneous national commemorative medals were produced by a wide range of manufacturers, from the U.S. Mint to local die-sinkers, covering subjects from presidential inaugurations to infrastructure milestones. 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

Strikings of HK-600 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-600; PCGS #680616; NGC #851970