1893 So-Called Dollar HK-128, Baker-B-324A Aluminum Holed Trenton Battle Monument

Coin Details

Auction Record

$600 MS63 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This commemorative so-called dollar (HK-128) from 1893 celebrates Baker-B-324A Holed Trenton Battle Monument. 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. The aluminum composition represents a modern departure from the traditional bronze, copper, and white metal palette of earlier so-called dollars. Aluminum's silvery-white appearance and durability made it practical for mass production. 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

So-called dollars from the Gilded Age were produced in limited quantities for distribution at events or through numismatic channels. Aluminum examples of HK-128 are moderately scarce, with surviving pieces ranging from well-worn pocket pieces to carefully preserved specimens.

Cross References

HK-128; PCGS #642342; NGC #850233