1891 So-Called Dollar HK-759, U.S. Grant Monument

Coin Details

Auction Record

$660 MS65DMPL 03-05-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

HK-759 is a 1891 so-called dollar commemorating U.S. Grant Monument in Illinois. 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. Struck in bronze, this piece combines durability with an attractive warm tone that deepens with age into a rich chocolate-brown patina. Bronze was the preferred composition for many commemorative medals due to its excellent detail retention. Private medal manufacturers played a central role in American commemorative culture, providing communities with the means to create lasting metallic records of their most significant celebrations and milestones. The Prairie State's commemorative medal tradition reflects both the dramatic growth of Chicago and the agricultural heritage of downstate communities that fed the nation during its westward expansion. 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-759 are scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-759; PCGS #643448