1893 So-Called Dollar HK-244b, D.C. U.S. Capitol Centennial

Coin Details

Auction Record

$228 MS61PL 06-10-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

This 1893 so-called dollar (HK-244b) commemorates D.C. U.S. Capitol Centennial. 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. 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. 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. This piece is a variant of HK-244, distinguished by differences in composition, die state, or striking characteristics that merit a separate catalog entry in the Hibler-Kappen reference.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-244b 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-244b; PCGS #642598; NGC #851973