1887 So-Called Dollar HK-612a, Seneca Falls Centennial

Coin Details

Description

This commemorative medal (HK-612) from 1887 celebrates Seneca Falls Centennial in New York. Centennial celebrations were among the most significant civic events in American communities, marking 100 years since a city's founding, incorporation, or other milestone with parades, ceremonies, and the issuance of commemorative medals. Bronze examples of so-called dollars offer collectors an excellent balance of affordability, condition, and aesthetic appeal. The alloy's hardness produces sharp strikes with fine detail that survives handling better than softer metals. The production of commemorative medals in America supported a network of skilled engravers, die sinkers, and press operators whose craft combined artistic sensibility with industrial precision. New York's position as America's commercial capital and most populous state generated one of the richest traditions of commemorative medal production, with events ranging from the Erie Canal's completion to the Hudson-Fulton celebration producing significant medallic series. The Hibler-Kappen catalog has been updated and expanded since its 1963 first edition, with later researchers adding newly discovered varieties and extending coverage into the modern era. Local commemorative medals from before 1900 reflect an era when American communities were actively shaping their civic identities, with medal production serving as both celebration and assertion of permanence.

Rarity Notes

HK-612 is scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Local commemorative medals from the Gilded Age were typically produced in limited quantities for distribution at the celebration event.

Cross References

HK-612; PCGS #643068