1891 Bronze So-Called Dollar HK-763, Washington Monument, Allegheny Park

Coin Details

Auction Record

$660 MS65BN 10-30-2018 Stack's Bowers

Description

Designated HK-763 in the Hibler-Kappen catalog, this 1891 piece commemorates Washington Monument Ded. in Pennsylvania. The dedication of public buildings, bridges, and monuments provided American communities with occasions for celebration and the production of commemorative medals, documenting the physical transformation of the American landscape. The bronze composition of this piece reflects the medallic tradition dating to classical antiquity. Bronze so-called dollars typically survive in better condition than white metal examples due to the alloy's greater hardness and durability. American commemorative medal manufacturers ranged from the U.S. Mint to small regional die-sinkers, with each firm bringing distinctive artistic approaches and production capabilities to the medallic arts. Pennsylvania's role as the cradle of American independence and its position as a major industrial state generated a rich tradition of commemorative medal production, with Philadelphia serving as both the political and medallic capital of the early republic. 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. Pre-1900 local commemorative medals are among the most historically significant in the so-called dollar series, documenting the celebrations of communities still within living memory of their founding or early settlement periods.

Rarity Notes

HK-763 is common to moderately 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-763; PCGS #643455