1893 So-Called Dollar HK-631b, Cazenovia Centennial

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-631A, this 1893 so-called dollar commemorates Cazenovia Centennial in New York. The centennial movement in America gained momentum after the 1876 national Centennial in Philadelphia, inspiring communities large and small to mark their own 100th anniversaries with locally produced commemorative medals and tokens. 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. The Whitehead-Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey was one of America's largest manufacturers of badges, buttons, and commemorative medals from the 1890s through the mid-20th century, producing pieces for political campaigns, fraternal organizations, and civic celebrations. New York's position as America's commercial capital and most populous state generated one of the richest traditions of commemorative medal production, with events ranging from the Erie Canal's completion to the Hudson-Fulton celebration producing significant medallic series. The Hibler-Kappen catalog, first published in 1963 by Harold E. Hibler and Charles V. Kappen, systematically organized American so-called dollars for the first time, assigning HK numbers that remain the standard reference today. Pre-1900 local commemorative medals are among the most historically significant in the so-called dollar series, documenting the celebrations of communities still within living memory of their founding or early settlement periods. This piece is a variant of HK-631, distinguished by differences in composition, die state, or striking characteristics.

Rarity Notes

Local commemorative so-called dollars from the Gilded Age survive in varying quantities. Examples of HK-631A are scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-631A; PCGS #643118