1939 HK-481, Bronze Golden Gate Expo Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$216 MS67 08-22-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

HK-481 is a 1939 so-called dollar commemorating Golden Gate Expo. Chicago's 1933-1934 Century of Progress drew 48.8 million visitors across two seasons with its modernist Art Deco architecture along Lake Michigan, becoming the first international fair in American history to pay for itself. Bronze examples of so-called dollars offer collectors an excellent balance of affordability, condition, and aesthetic appeal. The alloy's hardness produces sharp strikes with fine detail that survives handling better than softer metals. 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. So-called dollars — defined as privately issued medals approximately the size of a silver dollar — encompass one of the most diverse and historically rich collecting fields in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Bronze strikings of HK-481 are common to moderately 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-481; PCGS #644049; NGC #850795