1890 So-Called Dollar HK-618, Easton Centennial

Coin Details

Description

Designated HK-618 in the Hibler-Kappen catalog, this 1890 piece commemorates Easton Centennial in Pennsylvania. Centennial medals served as tangible connections to a community's founding era, with designs typically featuring the city seal, important local landmarks, portraits of founding figures, or scenes from the community's early history. 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. From Philadelphia's founding by William Penn in 1682 to Pittsburgh's industrial revolution, Pennsylvania communities have marked their historical milestones with commemorative medals that document the Commonwealth's central role in American history. The HK numbering system established by Hibler and Kappen in 1963 brought order to hundreds of previously uncataloged American commemorative medals, many of which had been ignored by mainstream numismatic references. 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

Local commemorative so-called dollars from the Gilded Age survive in varying quantities. Examples of HK-618 are scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-618; PCGS #643088