1892-1893 So-Called Dollar HK-232, 93) Il Columbus Bust Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$228 MS63 12-17-2022 eBay

Description

This commemorative so-called dollar (HK-232) from 1892 celebrates 93) Il Columbus Bust. 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. 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). 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

So-called dollars from the Gilded Age were produced in limited quantities for distribution at events or through numismatic channels. Examples of HK-232 are scarce, with surviving pieces ranging from well-worn pocket pieces to carefully preserved specimens.

Cross References

HK-232; PCGS #642559; NGC #850417