1917 Gilt So-Called Dollar HK-894, WWI Good Luck

Coin Details

Description

HK-894 is a gilt good luck medal from the Elder WWI series, in which the legendary New York dealer Thomas L. Elder documented American involvement in the First World War through medallic art. The Elder WWI series (HK-877 through HK-907), produced between 1917 and 1919, encompasses approximately 30 distinct catalog numbers struck in multiple metals including brass, bronze, aluminum, copper, silver, and antiqued copper, creating dozens of varieties. This constitutes one of the most extensive privately produced World War I commemorative medal series in American numismatics, reflecting Elder's entrepreneurial approach to medallic production. The series divides into three subcategories: peace medals commemorating the November 1918 Armistice and expressing hope for lasting peace; victory medals celebrating the Allied triumph in the Great War and the subsequent Versailles negotiations; and 'Good Luck' medals reflecting wartime superstitious practices, serving as both patriotic souvenirs and talismans for soldiers and their families during a period of profound national anxiety. 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

Thomas Elder WWI so-called dollars survive in varying numbers across the extensive series. Various compositions exist across the series, with silver being the rarest. Some HK numbers in the Elder WWI range are quite rare, while others are more readily available. The lettered variants (b, c, d suffixes) typically represent rarer die states or compositions.

Cross References

HK-894; PCGS #643711