1892-1893 So-Called Dollar HK-193, The Fisheries Building

Coin Details

Description

HK-193 is a 1892 so-called dollar commemorating The Fisheries Building. George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. built the original Ferris Wheel for the Midway Plaisance, standing 264 feet tall with 36 cars that each held 60 passengers, as the American answer to the Eiffel Tower. 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. 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). Charles Barber's tenure as Chief Engraver coincided with the golden age of American expositions, and he designed official U.S. Mint medals for the Columbian, Louisiana Purchase, and Panama-Pacific fairs. So-called dollars — defined as privately issued medals approximately the size of a silver dollar — encompass one of the most diverse and historically rich collecting fields in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-193 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-193; PCGS #642481; NGC #850332