1933 HK-868, Century of Progress Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS64 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Cataloged as HK-868, this piece commemorates A Century of Progress International Exposition, formally opened on May 27, 1933, at Soldier Field to celebrate the centennial of Chicago's incorporation. A Century of Progress International Exposition, held in Chicago during the summers of 1933 and 1934, commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the city's incorporation in 1833. Formally opened on May 27, 1933, by U.S. Postmaster General James Farley in a four-hour ceremony at Soldier Field, the fair drew 22,565,859 paid admissions in its first 170-day season and 48,769,227 total visitors across both seasons. The exposition generated medallic souvenirs cataloged in the Hibler-Kappen reference from HK-463 through HK-475 and HK-867 through HK-870. 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

Century of Progress so-called dollars were produced in moderate quantities for distribution and sale at the 1933-1934 exposition. Surviving examples are generally available to collectors, though condition and specific variety affect desirability. The Century of Progress medals are actively collected as both so-called dollars and World's Fair memorabilia.

Cross References

HK-868; PCGS #643650