1892-1893 So-Called Dollar HK-199, The Womans Building

Coin Details

Auction Record

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

Description

HK-199 is a 1892 so-called dollar commemorating The Womans Building. The exposition's Court of Honor, with its Grand Basin reflecting pool surrounded by Burnham's neoclassical buildings painted white, inspired the City Beautiful movement that transformed American urban planning. This bronze so-called dollar represents the standard commemorative medal composition of its era. Bronze pieces were often the primary production run, with silver reserved for presentation copies and white metal for budget editions. 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. Harold Hibler and Charles Kappen spent decades cataloging American dollar-sized medals, creating a reference work that transformed a scattered collecting field into an organized numismatic specialty.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-199 are scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Gilded Age commemorative medals survive in varying numbers depending on original mintage and subsequent preservation.

Cross References

HK-199; PCGS #642491; NGC #850338