1897 HK-836, Bickford Dollar Aluminum, Brass Center Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$368 MS-65 02-02-2010 Goldberg Auctioneers

Description

This 1897 Bickford Dollar (HK-836) is a brass piece cataloged in the monetary section of the Hibler-Kappen so-called dollar reference. Dana Bickford, a New York inventor and entrepreneur, proposed a revolutionary multi-denomination gold coin system in 1897. His concept involved a single coin design that could serve as legal tender in multiple countries by incorporating exchange rates directly into the design through a rotating dial mechanism showing equivalent values in different national currencies. The Bickford Dollar series (HK-833 through HK-837) represents one of the most imaginative proposals in American monetary history. The HK numbering system groups so-called dollars broadly by type: exposition and commemorative pieces in the lower numbers, with monetary, miscellaneous, and later additions in higher ranges. Lettered suffixes (a, b, c, d) typically indicate variant compositions or die states of the same basic design, while entries above HK-900 include pieces added in later catalog supplements.

Rarity Notes

This 1897 so-called dollar is generally scarce in the numismatic market. Aluminum examples are collected by specialists in so-called dollars and American medallic art.

Cross References

HK-836; PCGS #643574