1933 So-Called Dollar HK-684, Santa Monica Breakwater

Coin Details

Description

Designated HK-684 in the Hibler-Kappen catalog, this 1933 piece commemorates Santa Monica Breakwater in California. Biographical commemorative medals document the lives and contributions of individuals who shaped their communities, with portraits and inscriptions creating lasting tributes in metallic form. This bronze so-called dollar represents the standard commemorative medal composition of its era. Bronze pieces were often the primary production run, with silver reserved for presentation copies and white metal for budget editions. In 1930, MACO's owner Clyde Curlee Trees co-founded the Society of Medalists, launching the longest-running art medal series in American history with 129 issues through 1995 by sculptors including Laura Gardin Fraser and Paul Manship. Golden State communities marked their milestones with commemorative medals that reflect California's unique blend of Spanish colonial heritage, Gold Rush entrepreneurship, and modern technological innovation. Harold Hibler and Charles Kappen spent decades cataloging American dollar-sized medals, creating a reference work that transformed a scattered collecting field into an organized numismatic specialty. Local commemoratives from the Depression and wartime era (1930-1950) reflect both economic hardship and patriotic fervor, with communities marking milestones despite — or perhaps because of — the challenging times.

Rarity Notes

HK-684 is scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Local commemorative medals from the interwar period were typically produced in limited quantities for distribution at the celebration event.

Cross References

HK-684; PCGS #643250