1910 So-Called Dollar HK-809, Thomas Elder, Dollar

Coin Details

Description

This Thomas L. Elder numismatic medal (HK-809) was produced by one of the most prominent American coin dealers and private medal issuers of the early 20th century. For the 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration in New York City, Elder commissioned the Hendrik Hudson Daalder and Robert Fulton Dollar series, designed by Frank C. Higgins, modeled by J. Edouard Roine, and struck by Medallic Art Company. The silver version (HK-369, 38mm, 75-100 struck) and aluminum version (HK-370, 200+ struck) are among Elder's most sought-after productions. Thomas K. DeLorey's comprehensive 1980 article 'Thomas L. Elder, A Catalogue of his Tokens and Medals,' published in The Numismatist, established the definitive numbering system (DeLorey-1 through DeLorey-104+) and won both the Heath Literary Award and the Wayte and Olga Raymond Memorial Literary Award in 1981. Elder published through the Elder Monthly (1906-1907), The Elder Magazine (1910-1911), and the Elder Rare Coin Book (1934). He died on May 11, 1948, at Travelers Rest, South Carolina. The so-called dollar collecting community has grown significantly since the Hibler-Kappen catalog's initial publication, with specialized dealers, dedicated reference works, and an active collector base supporting a market that values historical significance, artistic merit, rarity, and condition. Heritage Auctions, Stack's Bowers, and other major numismatic auction houses regularly feature so-called dollars in their sales.

Rarity Notes

Thomas Elder numismatic so-called dollars from the HK-798 to HK-819 range survive in varying quantities. Various compositions exist, with silver being the rarest and base metals more commonly encountered. The lettered variants (a, b, c suffixes) are generally scarcer than the primary types. Elder's pieces are actively collected both as so-called dollars and as examples of early 20th-century American numismatic entrepreneurship.

Cross References

HK-809; PCGS #643539