1892 HK-170 , Ferris Wheel Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$104 MS61 12-05-2010 Heritage Auctions

Description

HK-170 is a 1892 so-called dollar commemorating Ferris Wheel. 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). 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. 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.

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-170 are scarce, with surviving pieces ranging from well-worn pocket pieces to carefully preserved specimens.

Cross References

HK-170; PCGS #642446; NGC #850302