1939 HK-484, Bronze Golden Gate Expo, Type II Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$100 MS64 02-22-2013 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1939 so-called dollar (HK-484) commemorates Golden Gate Expo Type II. The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, organized around 'Building the World of Tomorrow,' featured the 610-foot Trylon spire, the 180-foot Perisphere, and introduced television and nylon to the American public. 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. 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. 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.

Rarity Notes

Examples of HK-484 are common to moderately scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Interwar period commemorative medals survive in varying numbers depending on original mintage and subsequent preservation.

Cross References

HK-484; PCGS #644052; NGC #850798