1917 HK-882, Thomas L. Elder WWI Issue Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,560 MS63 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

HK-882 is a World War I commemorative 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. Elder's WWI medals ranged from straightforward patriotic designs featuring flags, eagles, and shield motifs to more elaborate allegorical compositions. The variety in composition — brass, bronze, aluminum, copper, silver, and antiqued copper — reflects both Elder's commercial instinct to offer pieces at multiple price points and his interest in creating distinct collectible varieties. The lettered suffixes (a, b, c, d) in the HK catalog typically represent different metal compositions of the same die design. 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 Hibler-Kappen catalog, first published in 1963 by Harold E. Hibler and Charles V. Kappen as 'So-Called Dollars: An Illustrated Standard Catalog,' provides the systematic numbering system (HK numbers) used to identify and classify hundreds of American medals approximately the size of a silver dollar. The catalog has been revised and expanded in subsequent editions, with Jeff Shevlin's contributions significantly expanding the known census.

Rarity Notes

Thomas Elder WWI so-called dollars survive in varying numbers across the extensive series. Brass examples are among the more commonly encountered compositions. 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-882; PCGS #643692