1892-1893 So-Called Dollar HK-191, The Machinery Hall

Coin Details

Auction Record

$192 MS63DMPL 11-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1892 so-called dollar (HK-191) commemorates The Machinery Hall. The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago's Jackson Park was one of the most spectacular events in American history, attracting over 27 million visitors to Daniel Burnham's neoclassical White City along the Lake Michigan shore. 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. Both the U.S. Mint and numerous private firms struck Columbian medals. Charles Barber designed official mint issues. The exposition also generated the first U.S. commemorative coins (Columbian half dollar). Barber's clean, classical engraving style defined the look of official American exposition medals for over three decades of world's fairs. Collectors of so-called dollars pursue pieces by exposition, metal type, engraver, geographic region, or historical theme, with complete sets of certain exposition groups being particularly prized accomplishments.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-191 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-191; PCGS #642478; NGC #850330