1894 HK-245, Brass, Type I California Midwinter Expo Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 MS62 03-29-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Cataloged as HK-245, this 1894 so-called dollar honors Type I California Midwinter Expo. The centennial commemoratives reflected a post-Civil War national reunification impulse, using shared Revolutionary War heritage to build patriotic unity across a country still healing from sectional conflict. The brass composition gives this piece a warm golden tone that distinguishes it from bronze and copper versions. Brass commemorative medals were produced in moderate quantities and tend to survive in better condition than white metal issues. Revolutionary War centennial medals were produced both by the U.S. Mint (official congressional issues) and private die sinkers. Many were distributed at ceremony sites to attendees and dignitaries. 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

Brass strikings of HK-245 are common to moderately 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-245; PCGS #642599; NGC #424400