1898 Silver So-Called Dollar HK-281, Trans-Mississippi

Coin Details

Auction Record

$456 MS62 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This commemorative so-called dollar (HK-281) from 1898 celebrates Trans-Mississippi. President William McKinley was assassinated at the Pan-American Exposition on September 6, 1901, when anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot him during a public reception in the Temple of Music; McKinley died eight days later. This silver striking represents the premium composition for so-called dollars of its era. Silver pieces were typically available to subscribers or sold at higher prices than the more widely distributed base metal versions. Trans-Mississippi and Pan-American medals were struck by both official exposition mints and private concessionaires. The McKinley assassination generated additional memorial medal production. The HK numbering system established by Hibler and Kappen in 1963 brought order to hundreds of previously uncataloged American commemorative medals, many of which had been ignored by mainstream numismatic references.

Rarity Notes

So-called dollars from the Gilded Age were produced in limited quantities for distribution at events or through numismatic channels. Silver examples of HK-281 are scarce to rare, with surviving pieces ranging from well-worn pocket pieces to carefully preserved specimens.

Cross References

HK-281; PCGS #642653; NGC #851983