1917 So-Called Dollar HK-891b, WWI Issue

Coin Details

Description

HK-891b 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. So-called dollars acquired their name because they are not true dollar coins but rather privately issued medals that approximate the size and weight of U.S. silver dollars. The collecting specialty emerged in the early 20th century and was formalized by the Hibler-Kappen catalog, which organized hundreds of diverse pieces — from exposition medals to political tokens to private monetary experiments — into a coherent collecting framework.

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-891b; PCGS #643705