1939 HK-490, Golden Gate Int'l Expo Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,560 MS64 12-13-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This commemorative so-called dollar (HK-490) from 1939 celebrates Golden Gate Int'l Expo. The 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas's Fair Park produced over 50 Art Deco buildings, many of which survive today, while providing 10,000 jobs and a $50 million economic boost during the Depression. 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. 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

Examples of HK-490 are scarce among so-called dollar collectors. Interwar period commemorative medals survive in varying numbers depending on original mintage and subsequent preservation.

Cross References

HK-490; PCGS #644063; NGC #850804