1939-1940 So-Called Dollar HK-492, Palladium Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Designated HK-492 in the Hibler-Kappen catalog, this 1939 piece commemorates Palladium. San Francisco's 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition occupied Treasure Island, a 400-acre artificial island built from 300,000 tons of boulders and dredged sand, later converted to Naval Station Treasure Island. 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. Later exposition medals were produced by a mix of U.S. Mint issues and private manufacturers, with many struck in lower quantities than the great 19th-century fairs. The Century of Progress and New York World's Fair generated the most varieties. The HK numbering system established by Hibler and Kappen in 1963 brought order to hundreds of previously uncataloged American commemorative medals, many of which had been ignored by mainstream numismatic references.

Rarity Notes

Strikings of HK-492 are scarce. Interwar period medals were often distributed at events, with many entering circulation as pocket pieces rather than being preserved as collectibles.

Cross References

HK-492; PCGS #644066; NGC #850812