1933 So-Called Dollar HK-686, Santa Monica Breakwater

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-686A, this 1933 so-called dollar commemorates Santa Monica Breakwater in California. The tradition of honoring individuals with commemorative medals extends from formal congressional gold medals to locally produced pieces celebrating community leaders, educators, and benefactors. Struck in bronze, this piece combines durability with an attractive warm tone that deepens with age into a rich chocolate-brown patina. Bronze was the preferred composition for many commemorative medals due to its excellent detail retention. After relocations from Manhattan to Danbury, Connecticut (1972), Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1991), and Dayton, Nevada (1997), the company's archive of 50,000 items including 20,000 dies was rescued by the American Numismatic Society in 2018. California's dramatic history — from the Gold Rush through the San Francisco earthquake to its emergence as America's most populous state — generated commemorative medals documenting the rapid transformation of the Pacific Coast. 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. This piece is a variant of HK-686, distinguished by differences in composition, die state, or striking characteristics.

Rarity Notes

Local commemorative so-called dollars from the interwar period survive in varying quantities. Examples of HK-686A are scarce in the numismatic market.

Cross References

HK-686A; PCGS #643256